The Memphis Roller Derby thrives on community — on and off the track.
PHOTO: CHUCK FORD
Come Together
One to One: John & Yoko paints a portrait of Lennon’s New York years. p28
Skyrocket in Flight
For celebrities, a billionaire-funded trip to the stratosphere is a mere morning’s delight. p31
THE fly-by
{ ENVIRONMENT
By Flyer staff
Memphis on the internet.
PROTEST
Hundreds joined for a Hands O protest at Poplar and Highland last Saturday. President Donald Trump and Memphis businessman Elon Musk were, broadly, the targets of the protest.
“It was overwhelmingly positive,” umelissa3670 said on Reddit. “I had two people ip me o and two yell ‘Trump!’ at me or in my general direction, one of which had frat bro ‘do-you-know-who-myfather-is?’ energy. I just shrugged. All and all [sic] a great day! Loved meeting folks and smiling.”
WHO TO FOLLOW
DeeJayTV130 said his little sister “wanted to pull up” to the Belly Acres on Poplar and dine at what he called “the most expensive restaurant in Memphis” in a new YouTube video. e siblings order, eat in the car, and discuss the food. In all, the video (and the whole channel, really) is a gentle, heartwarming slice of foodie life in the Blu City.
YOUCH
e Grizzlies got dragged on X a er their 80131 defeat against the Oklahoma City under last Sunday. Exhibit
A: A screen grab from a gif showed “the Memphis Grizzlies leaving the arena.”
Questions, Answers + Attitude
Edited by Toby Sells
River Tops List of ‘Most Endangered’
Trump threats to abandon FEMA push the Mississippi to No. 1 in the country.
e Mississippi River is the most endangered river in the country, according to a new report from American Rivers, a national conservation organization.
e biggest threats to the river are the Trump administration’s promises to severely cut or abolish the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the National Flood Insurance Program, according to the report. American Rivers said these threats “[risk] river health and human safety along the entirety of its 2,320-mile stretch and could compound longstanding threats to the river.”
“ e Mississippi River is vital to our nation’s health, wealth, and security. We drink from it, we grow our food with it, we travel on it, we live alongside it, and simply, we admire its beauty,” said Mike Sertle, central region director for American Rivers. “We cannot turn our back on Mississippi River communities or the health of the river millions depend on at this critical time when they need uni ed direction instead of uncertainty at the national level.”
In March, President Donald Trump issued an executive order that would push much of what FEMA does to states. e order also called for the federal government to “streamline its preparedness operations.” is led to hundreds of layo s at FEMA with many more promised, leaving states worried about the future.
FEMA’s mission goes beyond emergency response and rebuilding a er disaster, according to American Rivers. It develops minimum standards for construction in oodplains, provides ood insurance to homeowners, and mitigates future risks. FEMA also helps in relocating oodprone homes to higher ground.
“Without strong federal leadership in ood risk management, communities along the Mississippi River — and across the country — will face even greater threats from worsening oods,” said Chad Berginnis, executive director of the Association of State Floodplain Managers (ASFPM).
e Mississippi River spans 10 states and 123 counties from the headwaters in Minnesota to its mouth in Louisiana. e river carries more water than any other of
the nation’s rivers and is the primary source of drinking water for more than 50 municipalities. e river is also a source for manufacturing, tourism, agriculture, navigation, and energy. e river and its 30 million-acre oodplain also provide vital habitat for more than 870 species of sh and wildlife, including dozens of rare, threatened, and endangered species.
Long-standing threats to the river include chemical runo that has led to regular toxic algae outbreaks in signi cant stretches of the river as well as hypoxic dead zones, sea level rise that is accelerating wetland loss and saltwater intrusion, exacerbating droughts, and infrastructure like levees and navigation structures that negatively impact the natural ow of the river.
e Mississippi River City and Towns Initiative, a group of mayors from up and down the river, said it does not believe the river has earned the designation of the most endangered waterway. Instead, the group said it believes “there is always a need to protect our nation’s and the world’s most important waterway.”
“A total elimination of the agency would cripple the nation’s emergency response and risk management apparatus,” said Belinda Constant, mayor of Gretna, Louisiana. “Additionally, disaster response along the Mississippi River is inherently a multi-state question and, thus, FEMA needs to continue to play a vital role in coordinating the e orts of many states to systemically mitigate risks, recover, and restore infrastructure.”
PHOTO: EMILY FINCH | UNSPLASH
An executive order by President Donald Trump would gut the Federal Emergency Management Agency and transfer its responsibilities to states.
Up in Smoke (Again) {
CANNABEAT
By Toby Sells
State Senators take the ban hammer to THCA products in Tennessee.
Smokable cannabis products, especially the THC they create when lit, took another — possibly lethal — blow last ursday as the Tennessee Senate followed the House in passing a law that bans products containing THCA.
House members passed an amendment last ursday removing THCA from legal cannabis products in the state. THCA was already banned in the Senate version of the bill traveling through the committee process. at bill passed last ursday a er a lengthy oor debate ending in a vote of 23 to ban the substance and only nine against it. e only legislative glimmer of hope for cannabis companies across the state now is a veto from Tennessee Governor Bill Lee.
Senator Richard Briggs (R-Knoxville) sponsored the Senate bill. He argued the bill protects consumers, taxes cannabis products fairly, and does not harm Tennessee hemp farmers. He said much of the products on shelves here are grown out of state. But the bill was about a lot more than all of those, he said.
“We’re really gonna be voting here on whether to have recreational marijuana or not,” Briggs said, noting that many products on shelves here now will get consumers high. “If we vote no on this bill, we’ll have unregulated recreational marijuana.”
Briggs described an anything-goes market in Tennessee with a variety of products to smoke, vape, eat, and drink. Also, the product sold today, he said, is “not your grandfather’s marijuana” that “they con scated at Woodstock.”
“ e average strength of marijuana in 1995 was 4 percent,” he said, without con rming his source information.
“You can walk 20 minutes down the street here and buy … gummy bears that are 10 times that.”
Last ursday, as he’s done for years when talking publicly about cannabis products, Briggs pronounced “gummy bears” as “goomy bears.”
Senator Heidi Campbell (DNashville) agreed with many of Briggs’ points. But she said she could not vote for the bill out of fear that state-by-state
regulation on cannabis products has increased “black market activity.”
“We all know that people are going to other states and getting the products and coming back,” Campbell said. “When we attempt to put regulations [on these products] we actually drive people to other markets and drive a market here that is less predictable and less controllable … because people are going to be selling tickets on the black market.”
“If we vote no on this bill, we’ll have unregulated recreational marijuana.”
Senator Kerry Roberts (R-Springeld) pushed back on the bill because he said it would make it illegal to manufacture, cultivate, produce, and sell these products, but Tennessee criminal law now does not make it illegal to possess these products.
PHOTO: BUDDING | UNSPLASH e House approved the same legislation two weeks ago.
“We’ve really decided to change the rules and move the goalposts in this conversation a er the game is in progress,” said Senator Page Walley (R-Savannah). “We told our farmers, we told our retailers, we told small business people who are honest, that are paying rents on facilities, that these were the rules.”
Senator Je Yarbro (D-Nashville) agreed, saying, “We’re pulling the rug out from under” Tennessee’s cannabis businesses. He said the state is moving in a “prohibitionist direction” on cannabis issues while others move forward.
“We are too much, in this instance, like e Simpsons’ character yelling at the clouds,” Yarbro said. “ is is time for us to get serious, to get real, and actually help Tennessee consumers, to actually help Tennessee farmers, to actually help Tennessee businesses. And I don’t think this bill is the right way.” e bill will become law upon Lee’s signature. Barring that, THCA protections are under review now in a lawsuit from the Tennessee Growers Coalition. at suit is to be heard this summer in Nashville.
3
POLITICS By Jackson Baker
Field Trip
A er all these years, state government just gets curiouser and curiouser.
NASHVILLE —
For many years I would make a point of going to the state Capitol during the spring months to look in on the General Assembly.
ere were times when I was there almost from the opening gavel to the legislative session’s close.
is was especially true during the years of the Income Tax Wars on Capitol Hill, roughly 1990 to 2001. is was a time of protracted con ict arising from Republican Governor Don Sundquist’s heroic if doomed e orts — in tandem, more or less, with elements of the assembly’s Democratic leadership — to modernize Tennessee’s archaic tax structure in a season of severe revenue shortage.
e climax would be Tennessee’s version of what happened in D.C. on January 6, 2021 — a riot in which the state Capitol was invaded by masses of protesters who broke windows, pounded on the heavy oaken doors of the locked legislative chambers, and thoroughly intimidated the trapped lawmakers who had been on the verge of enacting a state income tax.
e assault came about through the e orts of then-state Senator Marsha Blackburn, who noti ed her allies among right-wing broadcasters who in turn summoned the crowds.
at occasion, during which I was barricaded in the Senate chamber along with the cowed solons themselves, was one of many memorable moments of my annual drop-ins on Capitol Hill.
I was there again last ursday to spend time with my daughter Julia, who now covers state politics for the Tennessee Journal, a newsletter I used to serve as contributing editor.
We started out in the media box of the state Senate. ings had barely gotten started when, in the wake of a oor appearance by cosplayers wearing Revolutionary War out ts, state Senator Brent Taylor of Shelby County rose to identify me to his fellow senators as someone who “covered the American Revolution.”
He went on to mention a sta -written MEMernet item in the previous week’s Flyer which took him to task for what he called “spicy remarks.” Mistakenly assuming I was the author, he swore he would “not apologize” for them.
Somehow, in the ad hoc role of introduced visitor, I got a round of applause out of all that.
Later I joined Julia on the House side, where the well-remembered “Tennessee
ree” of a 2023 gun-safety debate — Democratic representatives Justin Jones of Nashville, Gloria Johnson of Knoxville, and Justin Pearson of Memphis — were preparing to take on HB222, a GOP bill formally entitled (not making this up) the “Dismantle DEI Act,” an apt description of the bill’s intent to disallow government e orts to “increase diversity, equity, or inclusion in the workplace.”
Justin Jones: “ is bill is about undoing the progress made in the civil rights movement. … is bill is racist; it’s sexist; it’s ableist; it’s religious discrimination as well. … [We should] rename this bill for what it is — the Dismantle Civil Rights Act.”
Gloria Johnson wanted to rename the bill “the White Fragility Act.”
Justin Pearson never even made it to the well. He ended up pounding a rolledup sheet of paper in his hand in frustration when the supermajority Republicans called the question, and by a vote of 73-24 abruptly passed the bill and terminated debate.
In a press availability a er the session, the body’s GOP leaders defended the outcome.
Said Majority Leader William Lamberth: “If DEI stood for diversity, excellence, and inclusion, it’d be perfectly ne, but it stands for diversity, equity, and inclusion, which is a communist, socialist principle that is racist at its very core.” e clincher was provided by Republican caucus chair Jeremy Faison who said straight-facedly: “Dr. King said it the best when he said that he wants people to judge us on the content of our character. e content of your character would be the equity portion.”
And with that the penultimate week of the 2025 legislative session was over.
PHOTO: JACKSON BAKER Masters of the House: (le to right) caucus chair Jeremy Faison, Speaker Cameron Sexton, Majority Leader William Lamberth
By Katie Stephenson
Missed Deductions?
It’s important to take steps to minimize your tax liabilities. Many taxpayers miss out on valuable tax breaks. Here are some that are often overlooked but that can potentially save you money.
1. Medical expenses
If you itemize deductions, you may be eligible to deduct medical expenses that exceed 7.5 percent of your adjusted gross income (AGI). For example, if your income is $100,000, you may be able to deduct expenses that exceed $7,500. Examples of eligible expenses include:
• Insurance deductibles, co-payments, and other out-of-pocket medical expenses
• Medicare premiums
• Travel expenses for medical procedures, i.e. housing and transportation
• Crutches, walkers, and scooters
• Long-term care insurance premiums
• Contact lenses and related supplies
• Breathing machines or other durable medical equipment
2. Charity-related expenses
Most people are aware that charitable donations are tax-deductible, but fewer realize that certain out-of-pocket expenses related to charity work can also qualify. Examples include:
• Up to 14 cents per mile if you use your car for charity-related purposes
• Postage cost for charity-related mail
• The ingredients used to prepare a meal for a charity event
3. Home office deduction
If you are self-employed and use a space in your home exclusively for business purposes, you may be eligible for a home office deduction. There are two approved methods for calculating your deduction:
• Actual expense — Allows you to calculate the percentage of your home that comprises your home office and add in other costs based on that percentage. For example, if your office takes up 5 percent of your home, you can deduct 5 percent of your mortgage interest, real estate taxes, and utilities. (This method requires keeping meticulous records of your expenses.)
• Simplified — Allows you to claim $5 per square foot, up to 300 square feet (a maximum of $1,500).
It’s important to note that individuals working remotely for companies as W-2 employees aren’t eligible for the home office deduction.
4. Mortgage discount points deduction
If you paid for points to lower your mortgage interest rate, you may be eligible
for a tax deduction. The cost of mortgage points can be deducted during the year in which you paid for them as long as the mortgage was used to purchase or build your primary residence.
Points related to a mortgage refinance may also be deductible but typically need to be spread out over the life of the loan.
5. Residential clean energy credit
This allows you to deduct up to 30 percent of the cost of new energy-saving systems that use solar, wind, geothermal, biomass, or fuel cell power to heat water, generate electricity, or heat your home. You can also claim a tax credit of up to $500 for installing energy-efficient doors, insulation, heating and air conditioning systems, and water heaters, and a tax credit of up to $200 for new energy-efficient windows.
Keep in mind these are lifetime credit limits, which means any credits taken in previous years count toward the maximum allowable credit.
6. Student loan interest deduction
For student loan debt, you may be eligible to deduct up to $2,500 of the interest you paid on qualified loans. This deduction is gradually phased out for single filers with a modified adjusted gross income (MAGI) greater than $85,000 and joint filers with a MAGI greater than $170,000.
7. Lifetime learning credit
The lifetime learning credit is available for those pursuing education at any stage — whether undergraduate or graduate studies, continuing education courses, or certificate programs at eligible educational institutions. The credit is worth up to 20 percent of $10,000 in qualified expenses, with a maximum of $2,000 per year. Qualified expenses include tuition and fees, course materials, books, software, and computers necessary for classes.
The credit is available to those with a MAGI of less than $90,000 for single filers or less than $180,000 for married couples filing jointly. There’s a gradual phaseout of the credit for those with a MAGI of $80,000 (individuals) or $160,000 (married filing jointly).
Katie Stephenson, JD, CFP, is a Private Wealth Manager and Partner with Creative Planning. Creative Planning is one of the nation’s largest registered investment advisory firms providing comprehensive wealth management services to ensure all elements of a client’s financial life are working together, including investments, taxes, estate planning, and risk management. For more information or to request a free, no-obligation consultation, visit CreativePlanning.com.
Home Sweet Home
AT LARGE By Bruce VanWyngarden
Turdus Migratorius
e caged bird needs to sing.
I’m sitting on the deck, sipping a fresh-brewed cup of early co ee. It’s Easter, and the air is clear and bright and alive, o ering the promise of another glorious Memphis spring day. e earth has resurrected itself and donned its nest vestments: Azaleas, dogwoods, irises, shamrocks, lantana — all manner of owers large and small are in full bloom, turning the city, and my own backyard, into a celebration of color.
ere is a mixed chorus of birdsong coming from the trees above. I listen for awhile and recognize the chirpy stylings of our resident Carolina wrens, cardinals, and mockingbirds, but there’s one persistent call I should know and can’t place. A er a check of my Merlin Bird ID app, the mystery is soon revealed. It’s the cheery morning song of a — wait for it — Turdus migratorius, probably the commonest bird of all in these parts, better known as the American robin. Merlin says it’s a “fairly large songbird with round body parts. … Gray above, with warm orange underparts.”
Turdus migratorius? Round body parts? Warm orange underparts? C’mon. How can it be that even Latin bird names are conspiring to divert my brain on this lovely morning and send my thoughts to the unlovely news all too easily located elsewhere on my phone?
ere’s no escaping it. Every day brings a new horror as President Turdus deconstructs our government and tightens his control over We the People. He’s intentionally crippling the pillars of our republic, cutting funding for Social Security, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, the IRS, the Department of Energy, our national parks, NPR, Voice of America, the NOAA, the FDIC, Veterans A airs, the National Science Foundation, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Just last week, he tossed FEMA onto the bon re of his vanities. Federal disaster relief is now going to be defunded. Cool.
And it’s not just the government. Trump’s putting the squeeze on law rms, universities, the media, nonpro ts, students, and immigrants of every color except white, should they dare to stand up to the mighty American Robbin’. And it gets worse.
eyes — in less than 100 days.
To control the judiciary, Trump began by ignoring the long-standing tradition of appointing an independent attorney general in favor of his pal Pam Bondi, the same woman who engineered a sweetheart “home con nement” deal for known pedophile Je rey Epstein when she was Florida’s attorney general. She’s also the woman who declined to prosecute Trump for his Trump University scam a er receiving a $25,000 campaign donation from Trump’s “foundation.”
Toss in six conservative Supreme Court justices, three of whom were appointed by Trump, and the odds of the Justice Department stopping Orange Underparts are slim. Plus, they have no enforcement powers except for the U.S. Marshals, which are controlled by Bondi.
And when it comes to the GOPcontrolled Congress, it appears Trump has only to breathe the threat of primarying a Republican politician with Elon Musk’s billions and they line up like good little soldiers and head over to Fox News to spew the latest White House drivel.
SUNDAY APRIL 27, 2025
As I write this, the president has ignored at least one Supreme Court ruling for more than a week, with more SCOTUS cases to come. A genuine constitutional crisis is brewing, one which stems from the fact that the chief executive of the United States has literally seized power from the other two branches of government before our very
And lest we forget, there are the incredibly foolish and soon-to-be-costly tari s and the impetuous destruction of relationships with long-standing allies. Worst of all is the realization that we live in a time in the United States of America where masked, non-uniformed agents are literally abducting people — throwing them into vehicles, taking them from their families and friends, and sending them to prisons here and abroad. No attorneys, no judges, no juries, no court appearances, no sentences. Welcome to the new USA.
Back in Memphis, Turdus migratorius is still singing sweetly above me as I scroll my phone and see that on the Fox News app, the top story on this beautiful Easter Sunday is: “Trump shreds Biden, ‘Radical Le Lunatics’ in Easter message.” Just as Jesus would have done, no doubt. Lord, help us.
PHOTO: PETAR KREMENAROV | DREAMSTIME.COM
On a Roll
COVER STORY
By Kailynn Johnson
Last Saturday a ernoon, the sharp screech of whistles blown by o cials huddled in skates marked the start of Memphis Roller Derby’s (MRD) new season. e Pipkin Building in Liberty Park was abuzz with fans gathering in droves. As team skaters with star-stamped helmets whipped around the track — with serious grit — it was clear this league ran on more than adrenaline. ey ran on community.
Community for the league looks di erent, depending on where you observe them.
During their bout, the crowd’s hype elevated players to rock-star status, every lap earning an encore, each breakthrough met with a roar. When a skater known as “Don’t Blink” successfully broke through her opponents, the audience went crazy. Memphis was behind her — and she knew it, throwing a two-handed wave and a smile to fans as she rounded the track.
Family members and friends donned merch — some with the league’s name — while others opted for custom-made gear featuring their favorite skater’s face. Only some people sat in gra ti-sprayed chairs, the Pipkin Building well past standing-room-only. Derby was a big deal that day, but its importance goes beyond the bouts.
On a Tuesday a ernoon prior to the
The Memphis Roller Derby thrives on community — on and o the track.
game, the Pipkin looked a bit di erent. Skaters piled in for practice, and the indoor track seemed almost too pristine, too quiet — begging for a bit of edge that only chaos and passion can bring. As I eased into my rst interview, the skaters moved from their prepractice huddles into synchronized stretches. eir uniform side-to-side warm-ups transitioned into a high-energy sequence set to music. e beat blended into the background, and each players’ infectious swagger reverberated through the building.
Jemma Clary (known as Jem in the derby) lovingly refers to it as “o -brand Zumba,” led by their teammate Chandler.
PHOTO ABOVE: CHUCK FORD e Memphis Roller Derby had its rst bout of the season last Saturday.
PHOTOS BELOW: MICHELLE EVANS ART (le to right) #5 Choke; #17 Don’t Blink; #72 Jem; and #30 Dyl Pickle
“It’s huge,” she adds. “It’s so fun because when we do it at games, other teams will sometimes join in. It’s always fun — hypes us up, gets our heart rates moving.”
From the energized warm-ups to the pre-scrimmage laughter, the camaraderie and community in the space was palpable. While the players’ individuality was re ected in their gear with sticker-covered helmets, when the digital “countdown to bout” clock ticked closer to zero, they shi ed from individuals to one unit, from playfulness to determination. When the mouthguards go in, it’s game on.
EYE ON THE STAR
“Pay attention to the person with the star on their head,” Clary tells me before the scrimmage round. “ ey’re going to be the one to watch. ey’re going to be the one that’s scoring all the points for the team.”
I learn that the league prides itself on being a part of a niche subculture, one that stays alive partially through exposure to newbies. I’d only seen the sport on shows like Bunheads and e Fosters — usually as a shortcut to a character’s “edgy phase.” But that Tuesday’s practice was my rst glimpse into the world beyond my streaming queues.
Clary translates derby in a beginnerfriendly way, likening it to a mix of rugby, speed skating, and even a little bit of chess. She breaks it down as a game of jammers and blockers (the latter is the position Clary plays). e aforementioned star denotes the team’s “jammer” — the lead scorer.
“When we get out on the track, my job is to stop the other team’s jammer,” Clary says. “I want to keep them behind me. I do that by getting in their way and knocking them with my big ole butt, really. ere are four of us that’ll be on the track as blockers and one person as a jammer. at’s for each team, so it’ll be 10 people on the track.”
A jammer must rst get through a group of blockers before they’re able to score points by passing them.
“For every person you pass, you get a point,” Clary says. “It’s really easy to count points because you’re like, ‘How many people did they pass?’ at’s the big thing.”
Each team also has a “pivot” who wears a stripe on their head. e jammer can take their star o and give it to the pivot if they’re struggling to break past the other team’s blockers.
While popular culture is o en people’s rst introduction to the sport,
When the mouthguards go in, it’s game on.
Kendall Olinger (aka Choke) notes that these representations tend to con ate the sport to being “gimmicky” and akin to phenomena like wrestling.
e MRD league started here in 2006. “It’s evolved over the past 20 years to really stand alone as a serious sport with serious athletes,” Olinger says. “A lot of the stu you see in the movies — or a lot of people bring up from watching roller derby from the ’70s or ’80s — it’s really gotten a lot more serious and way more focused on the sport. Lots of rules have changed, and a lot of those gimmicks have disappeared.”
Dylan Miller, an MRD jammer, says she didn’t know much about the sport aside from the 2009 lm Whip It starring Elliot Page. Her journey beyond seeing derby on screen started at the league’s skate school in March 2023.
“I skated when I was a kid and I do think there was some ‘getting back on the bike’ type of thing,” Miller says. rough skate school she was able to master skills that she was “okay” at as a kid, like turning around and stopping. While these things may sound simple, Miller says the ingenuity of skate school
is that it teaches and reinforces the basics of the sport to older audiences in a supportive environment.
“You’re getting lessons on all the basics and there’s somebody presenting the lessons, but you’re also getting one-on-one help from skaters in the league,” Miller says. “And we try to make sure it’s as accessible as possible to everyone regardless of their income.”
e league has taken this a step further by introducing Derby School, a program designed to re ne their technique for derby readiness.
It’s been gratifying for Miller to see her growth from someone getting back on her wheels to joining the league. She notes it’s a “hard shi ,” yet the league’s welcoming environment propelled her con dence. As a self-described “classic overthinker,” derby has given her the opportunity to get outside of her head and “leave it at the door.”
DON’T BLINK
is transformation occurs in real time as Miller goes into bout mode, a conspicuous contrast from our pre-practice conversation. Miller takes a back seat, and “Dyl Pickle” takes over — one of the stars Clary told me to watch for.
On the track, Dyl is joined by the “other” team’s jammer “Don’t Blink.”
Prior to this moment, multiple players told me that Don’t Blink is a force to be reckoned with. Her name is a nod to
her a nity for Doctor Who, a canonical yet witty reference to her lightning speed and prowess.
“‘Don’t Blink’ is like a warning,” Stacy Bautista tells me. “In the show, there’s a Weeping Angel statue and when you blink it comes to life and it’ll send you back in time and you die in the past. So, ‘Don’t Blink’ was kind of like a warning, like if you blink I’m going to hit you or come right past you — something bad is going to happen to you.”
She laughs at the irony of how her teammates sometimes shorten the moniker, calling her “Blink.” In some ways, it’s an inviting dare for opponents to see who they’re up against.
Aside from MRD, Bautista also plays for a borderless team called Fuego Latino Roller Derby. e league features a number of Latino skaters from across the globe, who will be playing in the Roller Derby World Cup in Innsbruck, Austria, this summer.
Bautista likens it to an Olympic-level derby competition composed of teams from all over the world. She re ects on her half-white and half-Cuban background, initially thinking there weren’t enough Cuban players to make a team that could play at the “World Cup level.”
“I was like, ‘the World Cup is not for me,’ because I don’t have the right background to get on a team and get to play,” she says.
But about two years ago, the borderless team was created. e team is not de ned by country of origin but by culture. She adds that the goal was not
continued on page 14
PHOTOS: CHUCK FORD e MRD league has evolved since its start in 2006, with the sport getting more serious.
SAT. APRIL 26
continued from page 13
invites people to find community.
specifically to be World Cup-bound, but an extension of efforts for skaters to form a community with people with shared cultural backgrounds.
Bautista was encouraged by MRD league members to apply, and with “help from a lot of people [in the league],” she was chosen for the World Cup Team.
Similar to Bautista, Clary found the routine of working after graduation to be less than satisfactory. For her, postgrad life meant adjusting to her friends leaving Memphis and losing the community that college facilitates.
Clary says skating had “been her thing” since college, so enrolling in skate school was “something to do” as opposed to an introduction to the skill. And while she was looking for a way to pass time, she found a refreshing way to make friends in this new stage in life.
“I’m super excited,” Bautista says, speaking of the opportunity. “The team has been really welcoming. When you’re only half-something, sometimes you don’t fit into either group very well, so both groups can be ‘you’re not really this or you’re not really that either,’ but a lot of my [Fuego Latino] teammates have that same kind of experience.”
CASH PRIZES
Derby exists as a special place that invites interracial and intergenerational bonding, allowing skaters to build something “really fucking solid. It’s always an active thing,” Bautista says. “We try to create a space that is welcoming for all different backgrounds, who are inclusive of people who are also from other backgrounds.”
WHY SKATE
Beyond the requisite moxie, inclusivity seems to be an appealing tenet of derby culture. League members share that the search for community in adulthood can be surprisingly complex. Many found that the sport satisfies a hunger for togetherness, while also satiating the desire to achieve something real.
Bautistsa, for example, says that life after college graduation leaves much to be desired. For her, derby revives the thrill that sports like rugby and softball impressed on her while growing up.
“I loved a full-contact sport,” she says. “When you get out of college it’s like, ‘What now? You’re going to work a job and that’s it?’”
Initially that’s what her post-grad life led to — all work with little opportunity to meet people. She tried joining a book club for a minute but admits, “That wasn’t it. It was fun, but it wasn’t giving me the same connections to people.”
Ironically, it was through working as a carhop at Sonic that Bautista says the “roller derby seed” was planted. Yet, while derby was appealing as a return to the full-contact nature she grew to love, she was hesitant to go for it. A friend helped her overcome those initial jitters, and she’s now been engaged in the sport for 13 years.
“You’re playing offense and defense at the same time,” she says. “There are always new plays, people figuring different things out, people doing different footwork. It’s like a puzzle, but at high speed. You just keep leveling up.”
People like Bautista and Olinger note that the sport is appealing because it features full-contact play, but it also
“I didn’t even come in wanting friends,” Clary says. “I joined and everyone’s just so friendly and welcoming. Roller derby is [also] like a pretty big queer space. I never really had fellow queer people around me, and it’s a lot of people that are older than me. It’s a pretty heterogeneous mixture of people, and people who are truly Memphians.”
These intergenerational spaces have proven to be invaluable. Not only does it contribute to league culture, but it’s what keeps the community thriving. The shared passion of skating permeates participants — both newcomers and seasoned skaters alike.
“It’s an honor to be able to skate with all these people,” Clary says. “I feel like over the past season we’ve been creeping up in the ranks and getting better and better, and everyone here who shows up regularly is super dedicated, not only to the sport but to the league and the community we have formed.”
The league operates as a nonprofit driven and run by skaters and league members. Members like Bautista and Olinger are not only team members but work as the heads of training and marketing, respectively. Along with sponsors and community support, members and participants help keep the culture and sport alive.
“We all like [derby] but there’s more to it than that,” Olinger says. “We have a really supportive community. We all understand that we all have to work together, not just on the track, but off the track, too.”
Olinger recognizes this as a privilege, especially in “elective hobbies and activities.” And she says the league hopes to impress their emphasis on respect and togetherness not just on participants, but on the city.
Whether it’s through skate school or a bout, the skaters invite others to learn about derby. While each player may have a personal reason they keep returning to the track, they recognize their presence builds upon a legacy that lasts long after their wheels stop turning.
MRD’s next bout is the Home Double Header on June 14th at the Pipkin Building. Follow @MemphisRollerDerby on Instagram to find out about upcoming events.
steppin’ out
We Recommend: Culture, News + Reviews
Echoes in the Room
By Alex Greene
David Less and Robert Gordon are no strangers to the Memphis Listening Lab (MLL), being scholars of music from Memphis and elsewhere. During their appearances at MLL listening events, they’ve premiered, willy-nilly, their share of unreleased, just-released, or little-known tracks on the lab’s histereo system. But now they’re about to make a regular thing of it with a new listening series, Echoes in the Room: Unreleased Recordings & the Stories ey Le Behind, slated to premiere this Saturday.
Curating a listening experience of raw, unreleased recordings comes naturally to Less and Gordon — and to the music insider guests they’ll be hosting. Saturday’s inaugural event will feature one such guest, who’s been heavily invested in some of the deepest music of our times: John Snyder. Having played in bands through the ’60s, then rising quickly to produce jazz sessions from the ’70s on, Snyder has decades of experience heading up projects at labels as diverse as CTI, A&M, Atlantic, and RCA.
Reaching him by phone in Athens, Georgia, I ask Snyder what we could expect in the way of unreleased tracks from artists he’s worked with. Would there be sonic treasures by, say, Chet Baker, Etta James, or Dave Brubeck? Surprisingly, the rst audio gems he thinks of are not artists’ outtakes from studio sessions, but even rarer gems: audio interviews.
“I have a lot of spoken word Ornette [Coleman],” Snyder notes, “because every time I would talk to him about his business stu , he was so opaque in his speech and his syntax that I couldn’t really understand him. Trying to make legal sense out of it was impossible. So I said, ‘Tell me what you’re actually talking about,’ routinely, with the tape machine sitting right in front of him. Just hearing his speech is kind of instructional because it’s a lot like his playing. You can have some di culty in understanding it until you get used to it.”
Yet another interview from his archives may be even more fantastical. “I have some Sun Ra talking about interstellar travel,” says Snyder, “and his opinions on this planet in comparison to others. And that has a story, too. When I signed Sun Ra back in the ’80s, he objected to the contract that was ‘for the universe’ because he wanted the rights to Saturn. He wasn’t kidding. So when the lawyer said A&M wouldn’t let me do it, my question to the president of A&M was, ‘Who’s crazier, your lawyers or Sun Ra? Because Sun Ra is for real. You guys are just making shit up.’ ey didn’t need the rights to Saturn. ey could give up Saturn. Sunny [Blount, aka Sun Ra] was … di erent.” Moreover, in the audio interview, “you can hear him talk, you can hear that voice.”
Snyder pauses to marvel a minute at the echoes of souls he’s encountered over his decades of work in music production, promotion, and education. And then he mentions some music that might be unearthed on Saturday: Chet Baker or the last recordings of Ornette Coleman’s original quartet. Snyder clearly takes delight at the thought of sharing them. “It’s fun because you see so much of the history of how things were done.”
ECHOES IN THE ROOM: UNRELEASED RECORDINGS & THE STORIES THEY LEFT BEHIND, MEMPHIS LISTENING LAB, 1350 CONCOURSE AVENUE, SUITE 269, SATURDAY, APRIL 26, 7-9 P.M.
VARIOUS DAYS & TIMES April 24th - 30th
40+ Hours of Comedy: Benny Elbows Attempts a World Record Hi Tone Cafe, 282-284 North Cleveland, Friday-Saturday, April 25-26, 6 a.m.-9 p.m. Get ready for a comedy marathon like no other. Benny Elbows, a returning veteran of Memphis standup, is setting out to make history by breaking the world record for longest solo stand-up comedy show: a staggering 40 hours and eight minutes. Will he make it? Be there to witness the laughs, the grit, and the awkwardness that comes with sleep deprivation.
e attempt will start Friday, April 25th, at 6 a.m. and will (hopefully) culminate with a live album recording at 9:15 p.m. on Saturday, April 26th. e event is free to attend, but certain time slots may require registration in advance to reserve a seat.
2025 Spring Book Sale
Benjamin L. Hooks Central Library, 3030 Poplar Avenue, ursday, April 24, 3-7 p.m. | Friday, April 25, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. | Saturday, April 26, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. | Sunday, April 27, 11 a.m.-2 p.m.
ousands of books, CDs, DVDs, vinyl records, and more will be for sale at great prices as part of the Friends of the Library’s Spring Book Sale. ursday is Member Preview Day, and Sunday is Bag Sale Day.
Mix Odyssey | Bartender Battle & Global Month Celebration
Mud Island River Park, 101 Mud Island Drive, Wednesday, April 30, 6-9 p.m., $53.07
Volunteer Odyssey is bringing back the eighth annual Mix Odyssey mixology competition. Taste custom-recipe cocktails from six mixologists from across the city. At
the end of the night, guests choose the winner of the competition: the Memphis Mixologist of the Year. Competing this year are Jenna AbuKhraybeh from Bar Limina, Greg Earnest from Cameo, Spencer Fong from Art Bar at Crosstown, Nick Lumpkin from e Cove, Mitchell Marable from e Lobbyist, and Sam Reeves Hill from Swamp Bar at Second Line.
Get tickets at tinyurl.com/4k8kfrkc.
Art in the Loop
Ridgeway Loop, Friday, April 12, noon6 p.m. | Saturday, April 13, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. | Sunday, April 14, 11 a.m.-4 p.m.
Art in the Loop, the art festival in East Memphis, features works of ne cra and ne art. In addition to a juried artists market, you’ll enjoy the fare of the town’s top food trucks and performances of classical music.
PHOTO: CATHY WEEKS
John Snyder
MUSIC By Chris McCoy
Improv City
Drummer Steve Hirsh joins celebrated Memphis improvisers for a night of collaborative composition.
When Steve Hirsh and Friends take the stage at the Green Room at Crosstown Arts, they will have something in common with the audience. You won’t know what songs they’re going to play, and they won’t know either!
Hirsh will make the long drive from his home in Bemidji, Minnesota, to play with a group of Memphis’ nest “free” musicians, all of whom have embraced extemporaneous music-making for years.
Saxophonist Arthur Edmaiston says both he and saxophonist/ utist Chad Fowler were steeped in improv in the 1990s, with regular sessions at Young Avenue Deli that coalesced around saxophonist Frank Lowe. “He came back to Memphis in the ’90s a er a 20-plus year career,” Edmaiston says. “It was a weekly gig, and that was a great way for us to all develop our own thing and develop as a band and improve as musicians. And we recorded those shows. See, we all lived in the neighborhood, so we’d go and play the gig and record it, and then we’d come back home and drink on the porch, whoever’s porch, and listen to what we had done earlier and tear it apart and kind of learn from it.”
“Is this free jazz?” I ask Hirsh, referring to a genre tag that was o en applied to Lowe.
“I’m going to ask you not use that term,” Hirsh replies.
As bassist Khari Wynn quickly explains, many improvisational musicians consider the term a trap. “As soon as you drop the ‘J’ word, you get two avenues of thought. People are immediately like, ‘Oh, I don’t like that. It doesn’t have words. It’s too out there.’ Or you get the other side of it where people are like, ‘Oh yeah! I’m de nitely a jazz fan!’ So then they expect to hear some of these certain gures repeated or played, and then if you don’t do that, then you’re not authentic.”
Hirsh was originally from New York City, the crucible of modern jazz, but le when he was still a teenager.
“I wasn’t even aware of all that stu ,” he says. “I grew up on rock-and-roll. I didn’t start learning about jazz until I was in high school. I just kind of stumbled across some records. I went to the ‘University of Liner Notes,’” he says. “I moved out to the Bay Area, and I was playing in rockand-roll bands and blues bands and really got into the [Grateful] Dead,
“I always want a narrative. I want a story arc in the music I play. Playing with these guys is hip because we’re all kind of reaching for the same thing when we’re playing.” – Steve Hirsh
which is really where I learned about improvising.”
Meanwhile, the group that became Deepstaria Enigmatica originally brought three of these players — Fowler, Wynn, and Alex Greene — together with David Collins and Jon Harrison in 2022, opening for Jack Wright’s improv trio Wrest. Something clicked. “ at October, we went into Sam Phillips Recording and improvised for several hours,” says keyboardist Greene, who is the music editor for the Memphis Flyer. “A tiny fraction of that became our rst album, but that day was explosive. It was like the big bang for our group.”
e Eternal Now Is the Heart of a New Tomorrow consists of two tracks, both more than 20 minutes in length. Unlike the stereotypical free jazz freak-outs of the ’70s, Deepstaria takes a whirlwind tour through 60 years of instrumental innovation. Soulful grooves dissipate into ambient atmospherics and sheer sonic textures. at album, released on the celebrated ESP-Disk label, which also released Lowe’s 1973 debut, is getting some attention, as with DownBeat’s
recent positive take on the disk. Edmaiston, for his part, has also been a maverick of improvised music here, either with SpiralPhonics, or with trailblazer Ra Kalam Bob Moses, not to mention ad hoc groups and his early years with Lowe.
ese Memphians’ slippery eclecticism is what attracted Hirsh to them. “ ere’s no genre about it. It’s a process. It’s a way to make music,” he says. “Our brains di erentiate between noise and music, but we learn what music is. ere are people who intentionally work with that boundary, and I think that’s perfectly valid. But I always want a narrative. I want a story arc in the music I play. Playing with these guys is hip because they all want the same thing, and we’re all kind of reaching for the same thing when we’re playing — at least when we’re playing together.”
“We just go in any direction the music wants to go,” says Greene. “We were just reviewing one of [Deepstaria’s] unreleased tracks from Phillips, and it was like, ‘Oh, wow! I forgot about that whole metal section!’ We embrace that. We know what to do
when things start to careen o in that direction. It’s ve composers, jointly contributing, and the whole is greater than the sum of the parts.” at’s what makes the long drive from Minnesota worth it for Hirsh.“What I enjoy so much about playing with these guys, and why I keep coming down to Memphis, is that everybody’s ears are so wide open. It’s like you’re 10 years old, and you’re out in the woods running around playing, and somebody says, ‘Ooh! Look at this cool thing over there!’ And everybody runs o to see this cool thing over there.
“You hear people, particularly jazz musicians, talk about re exes. But what we are talking about, I think, is a step beyond re exes. Everybody is hearing something unfold, and it’s not that they’re reacting to something they’ve heard; it’s that they hear where it’s going. … I call it ‘real-time group composition.’ at’s my best description of it.”
Crosstown Arts presents Steve Hirsh and Friends in the Green Room on ursday, April 24th, 7:30 p.m. Visit crosstownarts.org for details.
PHOTO: COURTESY CROSSTOWN ARTS (le to right) Khari Wynn, Alex Greene, Steve Hirsh, Art Edmaiston, and Chad Fowler will get telepathic as Crosstown Arts’ Jazz Month continues.
AFTER DARK: Live Music Schedule April 24 - 30
PHOTO: COURTESY BAO NGO/ CROSSTOWN ARTS
Blind Mississippi Morris
Friday, April 25, 8 p.m. |
Saturday, April 26, 8 p.m.
BLUES CITY CAFE
Dance Into Summer: Thursdays at Handy Park in April
Featuring the Stax Music Academy, lively activities, and more. Free. ursday, April 24, 5 p.m.
HANDY PARK
Earl “The Pearl” Banks Tuesday, April 29, 7 p.m.
BLUES CITY CAFE
Eric Hughes
ursday, April 24, 7-11 p.m.
RUM BOOGIE CAFE
Flic’s Pics Band
Led by the legendary Leroy “Flic” Hodges of Hi Rhythm.
Saturday, April 26, 4 p.m. |
Sunday, April 27, 2 p.m.
B.B. KING’S BLUES CLUB
FreeWorld
Friday, April 25, 7-11 p.m. | Saturday, April 26, 7-11 p.m.
RUM BOOGIE CAFE
FreeWorld
Sunday, April 27, 8 p.m.
BLUES CITY CAFE
Ghost Town Blues Band
ursday, April 24, 7 p.m.
BLUES CITY CAFE
Soul Street Wednesday, April 30, 7-11 p.m.
RUM BOOGIE CAFE
The B.B. King’s Blues Club Allstar Band
Friday, April 25, 8 p.m. |
Saturday, April 26, 8 p.m.
B.B. KING’S BLUES CLUB
Vince Johnson
Monday, April 28, 6:30 p.m. |
Tuesday, April 29, 6:30 p.m.
RUM BOOGIE CAFE
Melinda EP Release Show
With Optic Sink, Late Night Cardigan. Saturday, April 26, 8 p.m.
JACK ROBINSON GALLERY
NYLA: Live
LaDarryl is a homegrown, locally known down-to-the(trom)bone bona de player.
See his new EP, NYLA, performed live. $10. Friday, April 25, 6 p.m.
HAVEN HAUS (DOWNTOWN)
Songwriter Night
With Lauren Freebird, Leah Grams Johnson, and others.
Friday, April 25, 5 p.m.
SOUTH MAIN SOUNDS
Soul Babies Songwriter Series ft. D’Vonna
Taylor & Gerald Morgan
Jr.
An intimate evening of storytelling and live original music at South Main Sounds.
Saturday, April 26, 6:30 p.m.
SOUTH MAIN SOUNDS
The Pretty Boys Sunday, April 27, 3 p.m.
HUEY’S DOWNTOWN
Crooked Diehl
Friday, April 25, 10 p.m.
ROOSTER’S BLUES HOUSE
Front Porch Music
Series - An Evening of Classical Music
Ana Maria Trujillo, violin, and Angela Wong, piano, will present works by Rachmanino , Brahms, Piazzolla, and others.
Monday, April 28, 6-8 p.m.
BENJAMIN L. HOOKS CENTRAL LIBRARY
Gritty City Bang Bang
Sunday, April 27, 11:30 a.m.
ROOSTER’S BLUES HOUSE
John Williams & the A440 Band
ursday, April 24, 8 p.m.
NEIL’S MUSIC ROOM
Landslide (Fleetwood Mac Tribute)
Sunday, April 27, 6 p.m.
ROOSTER’S BLUES HOUSE
Memphis Funk n Horns
Saturday, April 26, 8 p.m.
NEIL’S MUSIC ROOM
Memphis Mojo
Wednesday, April 30, 7 p.m.
ROOSTER’S BLUES HOUSE
Natchez Party & Dance
Friday, April 25, 8 p.m.
NEIL’S MUSIC ROOM
Paul Thorn
Saturday, April 26, 8 p.m.
ROOSTER’S BLUES HOUSE
Symmetry Jazz Band ft.
Deborah Swiney
With Swiney singing, Gary Topper’s 10-piece band will play favorite jazz standards and original tunes. Made possible by the Musicians Performance Trust Fund and the Memphis Library Foundation.
Sunday, April 27, 2-3 p.m.
BENJAMIN L. HOOKS CENTRAL LIBRARY
The Deb Jam Band
Tuesday, April 29, 6 p.m.
NEIL’S MUSIC ROOM
The New Pacemakers
British Invasion music and dance. Sunday, April 27, 4-8 p.m.
NEIL’S MUSIC ROOM
The Settlers Sunday, April 27, 3 p.m.
HUEY’S POPLAR
Aundrea’s Sendoff: Get Into the Groove ’80s
Night
Saturday, April 26, 8 p.m.
BAR DKDC
Barlow Brenner & the Jays
With Wilshire and special guest. Friday, April 25, 9 p.m.
B-SIDE
Burial Oath
Epoch of Unlight, Su ering Unto Wisdom, TornApart [Small Room-Downstairs].
$13.50. Tuesday, April 29, 8 p.m.
Kalia
Vandever
Crooked Diehl
With Avon Park, Zoe Dominguez. Saturday, April 26, 9 p.m.
B-SIDE
Deborah Swiney Duo ursday, April 24, 7-10 p.m.
THE COVE
Devil Train
Bluegrass, roots, country, Delta, and ski e. ursday, April 24, 9 p.m.
B-SIDE
DJ A.D.
Friday, April 25, 8 p.m.
BAR DKDC
Ethan Baker Tuesday, April 29, 10 p.m.
B-SIDE
Exhorder
With e Red Mountain, Ruined God. Tuesday, April 29, 8 p.m.
GROWLERS
Gary Topper’s Symmetry
Topper, one of the city’s most creative saxophonists, leads this 10-piece band through both originals and standards with swinging aplomb. Not to be missed! $20/advance, $25/ at the door. Wednesday, April 30, 7:30 p.m.
THE GREEN ROOM AT CROSSTOWN ARTS
Glare
With Soul Blind, Cherry Smoke, Frailstate. ursday, April 24, 7:30 p.m.
GROWLERS
Gravehuffer
With Deathspiral Of Inherited Su ering, Epoch of Unlight. Friday, April 25, 8 p.m.
GROWLERS
Happy Hour at the Brooks: South Memphis
Jeff
For this week’s Happy Hour, art meets rhythm in an extraordinary DJ set by South Memphis native Je Cohran, aka South Memphis Je , a tour and production manager for Janelle Monae. Free. ursday, April 24, 5-8 p.m.
MEMPHIS BROOKS MUSEUM OF ART
Heather Mae
Southern Soul Rising Tour with Marcellus the Singer and Cecily Wilborn
Also featuring 803Fresh and Fat Daddy & the PC Band.
$61.15/general admission. Sunday, April 27, 7-8:30 p.m.
MINGLEWOOD HALL
Spanish Cultural Series: Mr. Kilombo (Spain) in Concert
One of the most popular singer-songwriters from Spain nowadays, Mr. Kilombo comes to the Brooks Museum in an intimate and acoustic concert, presented as part of Spanish Cultural Series.
$20/no cover but mandatory refreshment (included with the reservation). Sunday, April 27, 2:30-4 p.m.
MEMPHIS BROOKS MUSEUM OF ART
Jazz Jam with the Cove Quartet
Jazz musicians are welcome to sit in. Sunday, April 27, 6-9 p.m.
THE COVE
Joe Restivo 4 Guitarist Restivo leads one of the city’s nest jazz quartets. Sunday, April 27, noon.
LAFAYETTE’S MUSIC ROOM
Kalia Vandever Vandever’s approach to the trombone is distinctive and de ned by her sonorous tone and lyrical improvisational voice. $25/advance, $30/at the door. Friday, April 25, 7:30 p.m.
THE GREEN ROOM AT CROSSTOWN ARTS
Level Three Wednesday, April 30, 10 p.m.
LOUIS CONNELLY’S BAR
Listening Event: Southern Avenue’s Family
Check out the band’s latest LP on Alligator Records. Friday, April 25, 6-8 p.m.
MEMPHIS LISTENING LAB
Macrophonics
With Pons (NYC), Godmilk.
$10. Wednesday, April 30, 8 p.m.
LAMPLIGHTER LOUNGE
Mason Ramsey e latest artist featured in the Monster Energy Outbreak Tour.
$27.60/general admission. Tuesday, April 29, 8-9:30 p.m.
MINGLEWOOD HALL
Memphis Reggae Nights ft. Empress Sah Matt Sunday, April 27, 7:30 p.m.
B-SIDE
Michigan Rattlers
$28.80/general admission. ursday, April 24, 8-9:30 p.m.
MINGLEWOOD HALL
Pop Punk Nite: Van Full of Nuns
Van Full of Nuns brings cover versions to Pop Punk Nite, with the homies in O ended by Everything & Moonstone!
$21.80/general admission. Friday, April 25, 8-11:45 p.m.
MINGLEWOOD HALL
Victim of Doug With Tom Foolery, T-Mac & Co. $10. Sunday, April 27, 6 p.m.
LAMPLIGHTER LOUNGE
WiMM presents Mama Honey & Zoë Dominguez
Women in Memphis Music present high-energy rock and roll and alternative folk rock. 21+. $10/WiMM. Wednesday, April 30, 7-10 p.m. BSIDE
Cactus Lee
Friday, April 25, 8-10 p.m.
HERNANDO’S HIDEAWAY
Five O’Clock Shadow Sunday, April 27, 6 p.m.
HUEY’S SOUTHWIND
Steve Hirsh & Friends
Minnesota drummer Hirsh joins Memphians Art Edmaiston, Chad Fowler, Alex Greene, and Khari Wynn for a night of improvised sonic journeys where anything can happen, from ambient to unusual grooves and textures. $20/advance, $25/at the door.
ursday, April 24, 7:30 p.m.
THE GREEN ROOM AT CROSSTOWN ARTS
Sunday Tea Dance with Strooly Sunday, April 27, 7 p.m.
BAR DKDC
The Arcadian Wild With River & Rail [Small Room-Downstairs]. $23.50. Friday, April 25, 9 p.m.
HI TONE
The Chaulkies Sunday, April 27, 3 p.m.
HUEY’S MIDTOWN
The Smokeshows
With Cream In Color, Screamer [Small Room-Downstairs].
ursday, April 24, 8 p.m.
HI TONE
The University of Memphis Southern Comfort Jazz Orchestra & Jazz Singers
With the award-winning Central High School Jazz Ensemble, led by Ollie Liddel, followed by the Southern Comfort Jazz Orchestra, led by Jack Cooper. $10. Tuesday, April 29, 7:30 p.m.
THE GREEN ROOM AT CROSSTOWN ARTS
Truth
With Criso, Oh Losha, Skyeview, Nodus Defect. $20-$35. Saturday, April 26, 9 p.m.
GROWLERS
Upchuck
With Seize and Desist, Little Baby Tendencies. Sunday, April 27, 8 p.m.
GROWLERS
Van Duren: Are You Serious? 48th
Ian Munsick with special guest Mackenzie Carpenter ursday, April 24, 7:30 p.m. BANKPLUS AMPHITHEATER
Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo
A potent creative partnership. $65/reserved seating. Saturday, April 26, 7:30-10 p.m.
GRACELAND SOUNDSTAGE
The Current Situation With Mothcat, No Debrief. Saturday, April 26, 7-10 p.m.
HERNANDO’S HIDEAWAY
The Danny Banks Trio Sunday, April 27, 6 p.m.
HUEY’S SOUTHAVEN
Benton Parker & The Royal Reds
Sunday, April 27, 6 p.m.
HUEY’S GERMANTOWN
Concerts in The Grove with Jeff Hulett and the Hand Me Downs Hulett (Snowglobe) plays with his newest combo. 18 and under are free. $9. ursday, April 24, 6:30-8 p.m.
THE GROVE AT GERMANTOWN PERFORMING ARTS CENTER
Ethan Smith Trio Sunday, April 27, 6 p.m.
HUEY’S MILLINGTON
Royal Blues Band Sunday, April 27, 8-10:30 p.m.
HUEY’S CORDOVA
Memphis Symphony Orchestra: The Stories of Scheherazade Experience the world of the 1001 Arabian Nights with selections from Nikolai RimskyKorsakov’s Scheherazade Suite! $10/general admission. Friday, April 25, noon-1 p.m.
GERMANTOWN COMMUNITY THEATRE
School Of Rock
HI TONE
With King Playtonic, Polly Popjoy. $20. Friday, April 25, 8 p.m.
LAMPLIGHTER LOUNGE
Screamer
With Buckshot Princess, Pan de Muerto [Small RoomDownstairs]. Saturday, April 26, 8 p.m.
HI TONE
Anniversary Show e power pop singer-songwriter celebrates his classic album, with a band featuring Vicki Loveland, Ian Duren, Adam Holton, and Adam Hill. $30. Saturday, April 26, 7:30 p.m.
OVERTON CHAPEL
Germantown Open
House Block Party
Free. Saturday, April 26, 2-6 p.m.
SCHOOL OF ROCK GERMANTOWN
The Pistol & The Queen Sunday, April 27, 6 p.m.
HUEY’S OLIVE BRANCH
CALENDAR of EVENTS: April 24 - 30
ART AND SPECIAL EXHIBITS
“2024 Accessions to the Permanent Collection” is series honors the new additions to the museum’s permanent collection. rough Nov. 2.
METAL MUSEUM
“A Journey into the Shadows”: Nelson
Gutierrez Colombian-born artist Gutierrez confronts the realities of migration and displacement through a striking visual language of shadow and movement, using threedimensional cutout drawings. rough May 11.
CROSSTOWN ARTS AT THE CONCOURSE
Anna Parker and Gopal Murti: “A Harmonious Interplay of Complementary Styles”
A blend of works exploring acrylics, mosaicism, and pointillism by two eclectic artists. rough April 30.
MEMPHIS BOTANIC GARDEN
ARTSmemphis:
“GRANTEDTime
Exhibition”
An exhibit curated by Brittney Boyd Bullock, a visual artist working ber, mixed media, and abstraction. rough Aug. 5.
ARTSMEMPHIS
“Art Speaks”: Visual Poetry Exhibition & Art Inspired by Words is dynamic showcase explores the powerful intersection of language and visual expression, bringing together artists who draw inspiration from literature, poetry, music, and spoken word. rough May 31.
MEMPHIS ART SALON AT MINGLEWOOD HALL
Brian Jobe and Jered Sprecher: “Arrangements in Gravity”
Exhibition of recent work by Jobe and Sprecher, in whose work both the poignant and playful are present. Free. rough April 25.
BEVERLY + SAM ROSS GALLERY
Colleen Couch and Dolph Smith: “Walk in the Light” is exhibit traces the arc of Smith’s work through drawings, paintings, and artist’s books; presents new pieces by Couch inspired by Smith; and highlights two recent collaborations between Couch and Smith. rough June 29.
THE DIXON GALLERY & GARDENS
“Colorfully, Darkly, Quietly”: Works by Willy Bearden and David Tankersley
Combining Bearden’s photography and Tankersley’s
drawings, the exhibit features two complementary Memphis voices. Free. rough April 29. WKNO-TV/FM
“Dialogues”: New Works by Rivertown Artists
Nine artists engaged in a dynamic conversation through their work. rough May 2.
ANF ARCHITECTS
“Earth Matters: Rethink the Future”
See the inner workings of a tree, learn about endangered species, and experience largescale visualizations of changes in our natural world. Learn more about biodiversity and climate change. $18. rough May 18.
PINK PALACE MUSEUM & MANSION
“From the Ashes”: Maritza Davila-Irizarry
Featuring both new and salvaged works, “From the Ashes” integrates printmaking, mixed media, photography, video, and remnants from the re that destroyed the artist’s studio. rough May 11.
CROSSTOWN ARTS AT THE CONCOURSE
“In Plain Sight”: The Photography of Ben Couvillion
A photographer with a passion for creating bold and saturated compositions that elevate the beauty of everyday life. rough April 27.
ST. GEORGE’S ART GALLERY AT ST. GEORGE’S EPISCOPAL CHURCH
Jeannine Paul and Jerry Ehrlich: “Small Works”
Paul paints impressionist and expressionist landscapes in oil, while Ehrlich aims “to surprise the viewer with a look and feel that’s not expected … but enjoyed.” rough April 30.
MEMPHIS BOTANIC GARDEN
Kit Reuther: “Many Moons”
Anchored by an intuitive awareness of spatial order, Reuther employs her own brand of architectural abstraction to deconstruct representational forms in paintings and sculptures. rough May 10.
DAVID LUSK GALLERY
“Landshaping: The Origins of the Black Belt Prairie”
Learn about the geologic event known as the Mississippi Embayment. Featuring fossils, farm tools, and photographs by Houston Co eld. rough Oct. 12.
MUSEUM OF SCIENCE AND HISTORY
“Light as Air “
Explore the beauty in tension: a balance of forms, the contrast between heavy and light, and the signi cance of negative space. rough Sept. 7. METAL MUSEUM
Send the date, time, place, cost, info, phone number, a brief description, and photos — two weeks in advance — to calendar@memphisflyer.com.
DUE TO SPACE LIMITATIONS, ONGOING WEEKLY EVENTS WILL APPEAR IN THE FLYER’S ONLINE CALENDAR ONLY. FOR COMPREHENSIVE EVENT LISTINGS, SCAN THE QR CODE OR VISIT EVENTS.MEMPHISFLYER.COM/CAL.
Anna Vo teaches how to make cyanotypes, botanic photographic prints using real plant material and sunlight.
“Memphis Skies: What’s That in Our Night Sky?” Hop through constellations, learn cool star names, and groove to planetarium space music in this full dome audiovisual experience. rough May 23.
MUSEUM OF SCIENCE AND HISTORY AT THE PINK PALACE
“Opposites Abstract”: A Mo Willems Exhibit Gives children the opportunity to “make some silliness and take art seriously at the same time.” – Mo Willems. Free. rough May 18.
CHILDREN’S MUSEUM OF MEMPHIS
Owen Westberg: “Thicket”
On ve-by-seven slices of aluminum ashing, and larger slabs of sanded birch, Westberg paints still lifes, views through a window, and landscapes captured in and around Pittsburgh. rough May 17.
TOPS GALLERY
“Speaking Truth to Power: The Life of Bayard Rustin”
Exploring Rustin’s innovative use of the “medium” to com-
municate powerful messages of nonviolence, activism, and authenticity. $20/adult, $18/senior, college student, $17/children 5-17. Through Dec. 31.
NATIONAL CIVIL RIGHTS MUSEUM
“Supernatural Telescope”: Danielle Sierra
A deeply personal and poetic re ection on memory, love, and spirituality, inspired by the passing of the artist’s father. rough May 11.
CROSSTOWN ARTS AT THE CONCOURSE
“The Colors of the Caribbean”: Juan Roberto Murat Salas is Cuban-born painter brings the rich visual traditions of his homeland to life through bold colors and dynamic compositions. rough May 11.
CROSSTOWN ARTS AT THE CONCOURSE
“The Golden Age of Paper Dolls”
A private collection of paper dolls displayed throughout the historic house, including an area to try out paper dolls
low Massacre through art, presented by the WEALLBE Group. rough April 30. WITHERS COLLECTION
ART HAPPENINGS
Art in The Loop 2025 ArtWorks Foundation presents its ninth annual edition of Art in e Loop, the art festival in East Memphis. Friday, April 25, noon-6 p.m. | Saturday, April 26, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. | Sunday, April 27, 11 a.m.-4 p.m.
RIDGEWAY LOOP
Blooms, Birds, Brews and Chalk Art Competition e festival will feature a plant sale, tasting of local beers, activities for bird enthusiast, local vendors, and a live chalk art competition featuring many favorite local artists. Saturday, April 26, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
CORDELIA’S MARKET
Super SaturdayWeaving and Textiles Make your own textile creation by learning beginner weaving techniques inspired by Suchitra Mattai. Free. Saturday, April 26, 10 a.m.-noon.
MEMPHIS BROOKS MUSEUM OF ART
“Thought Patterns” Art Exhibit Opening
For Paser, gra ti is thought— visualized. Paser’s second gallery show uses color, shape and movement to map the inner circuitry of a mind that never switches o . Friday, April 25, 6-9 p.m.
LOADED FOR BEAR
“Visible Portraits of Light”: Art Exhibit Unveiling
and make your own. rough May 28.
DAVIES MANOR HISTORIC SITE
Thomas Dambo’s “Trolls: Save the Humans”
International Paper presents this larger-than-life fairy tale, in which art and nature intertwine. rough May 21.
MEMPHIS BOTANIC GARDEN
Thomas Jackson: “Chaotic Equilibrium” Jackson harnesses the wind to create ethereal works that blur the boundaries between landscape photography, sculpture, and kinetic art. rough April 28.
MEMPHIS BROOKS MUSEUM OF ART
Tributaries: Rachel David’s “Engorging Eden”
A solo exhibition that transforms everyday furniture into fragmented expressions of life’s chaos, joy, and loss. rough May 11.
METAL MUSEUM
Using Our Art to Tell Our Stories IV: “We Remember Fort Pillow!” Remembering the Fort Pil-
Artist Larry Walker will reveal his ambitious “Visible Portraits of Light” exhibit, celebrating 12 exceptional pastors who have served as beacons of hope, progress, and change in our community.
Sunday, April 27, 3-6 p.m.
RENASANT CONVENTION CENTER
BOOK EVENTS
Andrew Donnelly: Confederate Sympathies: Same-Sex Romance, Disunion, and Reunion in the Civil War Era
In conversation with Eva Payne, the author discusses the deeply consequential queer history at the heart of 19th-century national culture. Monday, April 28, 6 p.m. NOVEL
Indie Bookstore Day
Featuring exclusive merch, IBD story time, Sweet Moon Cookies pop-up, and an instore prize drawing. Saturday, April 26, 9 a.m.-8 p.m. NOVEL
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continued from page 19
Kaitlyn Sage Patterson: Windy Creek Stables: Presley and the Impossible Dream e author celebrates the release of her new middle grades book and series. $5/ per family. Saturday, April 26, 1 p.m.
SOUTHERN BLUES EQUESTRIAN CENTER
Meg Thomas Crosby & Howard Cleveland: Running the Gauntlet: Proven Strategies for High-Growth Leaders
Written for leaders of highgrowth companies, this book provides a framework for predicting and overcoming obstacles to scaling successfully. Wednesday, April 30, 6 p.m.
NOVEL
Sara Faye Egan: The Through Line: Finding Happiness Through the Curveballs of Life, Family, and Business Egan shares her deeply personal journey, blending raw emotion with the practical know-how she’s gained from years of balancing a successful career with family responsibilities. ursday, April 24, 4 p.m.
NOVEL
CLASS / WORKSHOP
Composition: Music and Art Teacher
Workshop
A discussion of art that draws heavily from musical themes, followed by a mixed media workshop led by the talented Eric Echols. Free. ursday, April 24, 4:30-6:30 p.m.
MEMPHIS BROOKS MUSEUM OF ART
Fiber Arts Open Studio
Bring your fabric, yarn, and tools to the Dixon for a free, collaborative, open studio with other ber artists and cra ers. Media and methods are your choice. Free. ursday, April 24, 5:30-7:30 p.m.
THE DIXON GALLERY & GARDENS
Figure Drawing Fundamentals with Hayes Paschal is class with local artist and designer Paschal, a graduate of the University of Memphis with a BFA in digital illustration, will be an engaging introduction to gure drawing. $20. Friday, April 25, 1-3 p.m.
MEMPHIS BROOKS MUSEUM OF ART
Figure Drawing (Long Pose)
Figure drawing is back by popular demand. $18/general admission. Sunday, April 27, 2-4 p.m.
MEMPHIS BROOKS MUSEUM OF ART
Figure Drawing (Nude Model)
Artists of all levels can practice and increase their skills drawing the human form. $18/ general admission. ursday, April 24, 5:30-7:30 p.m.
MEMPHIS BROOKS MUSEUM OF ART
Forged Bracelets
Classes in the smithy o er the opportunity to learn blacksmithing techniques from our resident artists and apprentices. ey are designed for students from beginner to advanced. Saturday, April 26, 9 a.m.-4 p.m.
METAL MUSEUM
Fundfest 2025
An entrepreneurial festival empowering business owners with comprehensive education on raising and utilizing capital without sacri cing equity. Monday, April 28, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.
HILTON GARDEN INN
Lunchtime Meditations
Visit the Dixon for free meditation sessions every Friday. Friday, April 25, noon-12:30 p.m.
THE DIXON GALLERY & GARDENS
Nature Journaling at Overton Park
Harness your creativity. Tuesday, April 29, 4:30-5:30 p.m.
OVERTON PARK
“New” iPhone
Photography Workshop
Learn how to take amazing photos with just your iPhone at a fun and interactive workshop. Free. Saturday, April 26, 8:30 a.m.-noon.
COLLIERVILLE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
Oil Painting with Judy Nocifora
Painting class. $250/general admission. ursday, April 24, 9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
MEMPHIS BOTANIC GARDEN
Painting with the Sun Workshop
Anna Vo teaches how to make a botanic photographic print using real plant material and sunlight. is lighthearted art class is suitable for ages 15+ but anyone under 18 must be with an adult. $30. Sunday, April 27, 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
MEMPHIS BOTANIC GARDEN
Songbird Strolls
Venture out to see the birds of the Old Forest. Experience avian antics, hear the magic of migration, and get to know feathered Overton Park residents. BYO binoculars or borrow some on site. Saturday, April 26, 8-9 a.m.
OVERTON PARK
Theatre Movement: Beginning Viewpoints
A perfect way for creatives of all levels to explore their bodies in motion. Tuesday, April 29, 6:30-8:30 p.m.
THE EVERGREEN THEATRE
Theatre of Dreams
Ever wondered what your dreams are trying to tell you?
Explore their hidden meanings through theater. Wednesday, April 30, 6:30-8 p.m.
THE EVERGREEN THEATRE
Wildlife Photography Class
Join Curt Hart and Allen
Sparks for a wildlife photography class focusing on birds, insects (macro), and other wildlife such as mammals and reptiles. $15. Saturday,
CALENDAR: APRIL 24 - 30
Variations. Friday, April 25, 7:30-9:30 p.m. | Saturday, April 26, 7:30-9:30 p.m. | Sunday, April 27, 2-4 p.m.
GERMANTOWN PERFORMING ARTS CENTER
M-Town Throwdown Line Dance Convention
Full of guest instructors, workshops, and parties. ursday, April 24-April 27.
RENASANT CONVENTION CENTER
EXPO/SALES
2025 Iris Show
An American Iris Society judged exhibition of iris stalks and blooms. Saturday, April 26, 1-4 p.m.
EMMANUEL UNITED METHODIST
CHURCH
Friends of the Library Spring Book Sale
ousands of books, CDs, DVDs, vinyl records, and more at great prices. ursday, April 24-April 27.
BENJAMIN L. HOOKS CENTRAL LIBRARY
32nd Annual Rajun Cajun Crawfish Festival benefiting Porter-Leath e best that mudbugs have to o er. Sunday, April 27, 11 a.m.-7 p.m.
DOWNTOWN MEMPHIS ON RIVERSIDE DRIVE, BETWEEN JEFFERSON AND UNION
Cordelia’s Market Blooms, Birds, and Brews Spring Fest
With vendors, a chalk art competition, a plant sale, and beer samples. Saturday, April 26, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
CORDELIA’S MARKET
FILM
Beale Street Monster Club - Memphis After Midday
April 26, 9-10:30 a.m.
LICHTERMAN NATURE CENTER
COMEDY
Benny Elbows “40+ Hours Of Comedy”
World Record Attempt
An attempt by the runner-up Funniest Person in Memphis to break the world record for the longest stand-up comedy show. Free. Friday, April 25, 6 a.m. through Saturday, April 26, 9 p.m. HI TONE
Comedian Reggie Junior
Nationally-touring Memphis native Reggie Junior returns to headline a fun lineup at Flyway Comedy Club. $10/ discount tickets. Saturday, April 26, 8-9:45 p.m.
FLYWAY BREWING COMPANY
Comedy Night with Ben Pierce
Freewheeling hilarity on the open mic. ursday, April 24, 7 a.m.
BAR DKDC
Open Mic Comedy Night
A hilarious Midtown tradition. Tuesday, April 29, 8 p.m.
HI TONE
COMMUNITY
A Community Conversation with the District Connector Program - District 4 is event will explore key strategies for career readiness. Free. Tuesday, April 29, 5-7:30 p.m.
CONCORDE CAREER COLLEGES
Earth Day on The Wolf River Greenway
Remove litter, restore trails, install bat boxes, and make the space enjoyable for all users. With face painting, paddling on Epping Lake, hiking, bat house building, food trucks, and more. Saturday, April 26, 10 a.m.-noon.
WOLF RIVER GREENWAY - EPPING
WAY SECTION
East Buntyn ArtWalk is neighborhood has got it going on. Saturday, April 26, 11 a.m.-4 p.m.
EAST BUNTYN NEIGHBORHOOD
Fallen Walls Fundraising Event
Fallen Walls empowers the creative voices of the disabled community, ensuring their art and talent are seen, heard, and celebrated. Saturday, April 26, 5 p.m.
CROSSTOWN BREWING COMPANY
Friends of the Morton Museum: Annual Membership Meeting
With a live soap-making demonstration, a recap of the year, what’s ahead, light refreshments, and great conversation. Exclusively for current members — and there’s still time to join! Free. ursday, April 24, 5-8 p.m.
MORTON MUSEUM OF COLLIERVILLE HISTORY
Volunteer Ranger Information and Orientation Session
Learn how Volunteer Rangers ensure a safe and welcoming park for all by inspecting facilities, engaging visitors, light trash pickup, and documenting trends. 18+. Sunday, April 27, noon1:30 p.m.
OVERTON PARK
Women’s Foundation for Greater Memphis Luncheon
Bringing the community together to break the cycle of poverty, the foundation’s Annual Tribute Luncheon is its agship and largest fundraising event. ursday, April 24, 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m.
RENASANT CONVENTION CENTER
DANCE
Angels in the Architecture
With Mark Godden’s title piece exploring notions of God, man, and woman through contemporary ballet, set to Aaron Copland’s Appalachian Spring. Also with Balanchine’s Donizetti
Memphis Area Master Gardeners’ Spring Fling
Featuring 2,000-plus plants to sell along with new and gently used garden items and a full slate of speakers and presentation. Free. Saturday, April 26, 9 a.m.-4 p.m.
AGRICENTER INTERNATIONAL Memphis Oddity & Curiosity Expo
Two days of oddities, curiosities, art, food, entertainment, and more! $10.98/single-day admission, $19.76/weekend admission, $43.90/VIP admission, $118.96. Saturday, April 26, noon-8 p.m. | Sunday, April 27, noon-6 p.m. 940 EARLY MAXWELL BLVD.
FAMILY
Flower Tots: Story Time at the Garden
An outdoor story time. ursday, April 24, 10-11 a.m.
MEMPHIS BOTANIC GARDEN
Pre-School Story Time Stories and creative play that connect with Collierville history. Friday, April 25, 10:30-11:30 a.m.
MORTON MUSEUM OF COLLIERVILLE HISTORY
Story Time at Novel
Recommended for children up to 5 years. Saturday, April 26, 10:30 a.m. | Wednesday, April 30, 10:30 a.m. NOVEL
FESTIVAL
23rd Annual World Championship Hot Wing Contest and Festival
An event to raise money for the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Memphis. Saturday, April 26, 11 a.m.-6 p.m.
RIVER GARDEN PARK ON RIVERSIDE DRIVE
In 1965, the last known copy of London A er Midnight was destroyed in a vault re at MGM. Beale Street Monster Club will tell you all about the lm and its sound remake, Mark of the Vampire. Free. Saturday, April 26, 1-3 p.m.
A. SCHWAB
Good Bye Horses: The Many Lives of Q Lazzarus
A cinematic portrait of singer Diane Luckey, aka Q Lazzarus, narrated through her own words, lyrics, and music — including the cult hit song, “Goodbye Horses.” $5. ursday, April 24, 7-9 p.m.
CROSSTOWN THEATER
The Birdcage Overton Square Movie Night in the Chimes Square courtyard on Trimble Place. Blankets and folding chairs welcome. Free. ursday, April 24, 7 p.m. OVERTON SQUARE
FOOD AND DRINK
Afternoon Tea at the Mansion
Don your ounciest spring attire for an a ernoon tea. $40. Sunday, April 27, 3 p.m. WOODRUFF-FONTAINE HOUSE MUSEUM
Canoes + Cocktails
A guided sunset paddle on the lake followed by specialty cocktails provided by Old Dominick, snacks from Che e’s, yard games, and music. A “cocktails only” ticket omits the paddling part. $35-$80. Friday, April 25, 6 p.m.
SHELBY FARMS PARK
Food Truck Friday at Dixon Gallery & Gardens
Grab a bite from a local food truck and enjoy lunch in the beautiful Dixon gardens. Friday, April 25, 11:30 a.m.1:30 p.m.
THE DIXON GALLERY & GARDENS
Roar & Pour
Sip Tennessee spirits, enjoy food, music and dancing, and bid in a silent auction all to support Sumatran tiger conservation at the Memphis Zoo. $125/nonmember tickets, $100/member tickets. Friday, April 25, 7-10 p.m. MEMPHIS ZOO
PHOTO: COURTESY DIXON GALLERY & GARDENS
Rose Marr’s images are a visual Black history lesson.
Science of Wine
This 21+ event offers professionally crafted wine and food pairings from more than 17 distributors and more than 14 restaurants. $110/VIP - member discount, $120/VIP , $70/general admission - member discount, $80/general admission, $40/designated driver. Friday, April 25, 6:30-9 p.m.
PINK PALACE MUSEUM & MANSION
HEALTH AND FITNESS
Goat Yoga
Go with the flow as you relax your mind and body surrounded by goats. Saturday, April 26, 2-5 p.m.
OVERTON PARK SHELL
Hatha Yoga en Español Esta práctica es una rama del yoga que combina posturas físicas, respiración consciente y meditación. Students of Spanish can immerse themselves in the language in a relaxed environment. Sunday, April 27, 10-11:30 a.m.
OVERTON PARK SHELL
Taijiquan with Milan Vigil
This Chinese martial art promotes relaxation, improves balance, and provides no-impact aerobic benefits. Ages 16 and older. Free. Saturday, April 26, 10:30-11:30 a.m.
THE DIXON GALLERY & GARDENS
Wednesday Walks
Take a casual stroll around the Old Forest paved road. Wednesday, April 30, 4-5 p.m.
OVERTON PARK
Yoga
Strengthen your yoga practice and enjoy the health benefits of light exercise with yoga instructor Laura Gray McCann. All levels welcome. Free. Thursday, April 24, 6 p.m.
THE DIXON GALLERY & GARDENS
LECTURE
Artist Spotlight: In Conversation with Matthew Hasty Art, life, creativity, insight. Free. Saturday, April 26, 2-3 p.m.
ELMWOOD CEMETERY
Munch and Learn: Crayon on Wood Portraits
Rose Marr is a portrait artist using crayon on wood to create unique works. Drawing black and white images from photographic references, her images are a visual Black history lesson. Wednesday, April 30, noon-1 p.m.
THE DIXON GALLERY & GARDENS
Weaving Together Past, Present, and Future: The State of the Humanities
Today
The Spence Wilson Center for Interdisciplinary Humanities at Rhodes College presents a talk by Shelly C. Lowe, former chair of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Free. Thursday, April 24, 6 p.m.
RHODES COLLEGE
PERFORMING ARTS
Legends of Olympus
These legends don’t just live forever, they leave you gagged. Burlesque, aerial, fire, LED, drag, and more. 21+. Saturday, April 26, 10 p.m.
DRU’S BAR
Spillit Slam: The I in Independent
A Slam event where storytellers have seven minutes to tell an all-true personal narrative (well, mostly true). After 10 stories the audience will choose a Slam winner. $10. Saturday, April 26, 6 p.m.
NOVEL
Thee Last Friday: A Night of Poetry
An evening filled with powerful poetry and heartfelt tributes to the legends who have paved the way for us. Friday, April 25, 6-9 p.m.
RUMBA ROOM
Variations on a Theme: The Complete History of Opera: Part 1
A lighthearted dive into how Galileo’s dad and a bunch of other fancy-pants fellas in Florence completely failed at their artistic goals and accidentally created opera. Saturday, April 26, 7:30 p.m. | Sunday, April 27, 3 p.m.
OPERA MEMPHIS
SPECIAL EVENTS
Collage Dance’s 14th Annual Jazz Gala
Fundraiser
Now in its 14th year, Collage’s annual Gala Fundraiser returns as a culminating moment of its anniversary season. Sunday, April 27, 2-5 p.m.
FEDEX CENTER AT SHELBY FARMS
Regional One Gala
An inspiring evening filled with stories of hope and healing, live entertainment, and the chance to connect with others who share your commitment to better health for the community.
Saturday, April 26, 6 p.m.-midnight.
RENASANT CONVENTION CENTER
THEATER
10-Minute Play Festival
Each play is 10 minutes or less and features some of Shelby County’s best theater talent — writers, actors, directors and crew — creating stories about the Black experience. Thursday,
April 24, 7:30 p.m. | Friday, April 25, 7:30 p.m.
| Saturday, April 26, 2 p.m. | Saturday, April 26, 7:30 p.m. | Sunday, April 27, 2 p.m.
HATTILOO THEATRE
Caroline, or Change
In 1963, a Black maid for a Jewish family, is trying to take care of her own family as the world around her is taking steps towards progress and equality. But change doesn’t come easy. Friday, April 25, 8-10:30 p.m. | Sunday, April 27, 2-4:30 p.m.
PLAYHOUSE ON THE SQUARE
Freedom Train
The story of Harriet Tubman, with dance, dialogue, and music, including timeless songs like “Follow the Drinking Gourd.” It’s a tale of resilience, sacrifice, and humor. Saturday, April 26, 2-3:30 p.m. | Sunday, April 27, 2-3:30 p.m.
CIRCUIT PLAYHOUSE
Guys and Dolls
An oddball romantic comedy that takes us from the heart of Times Square to the cafes of Havana, Cuba, and even the sewers of New York City. Presented by New Day Children’s Theatre. Friday, April 25, 7-9:30 p.m. | Saturday, April 26, 7-9:30 p.m. | Sunday, April 27, 7-9:30 p.m. | Monday, April 28, 7-9:30 p.m. | Tuesday, April 29, 7-9:30 p.m. | Wednesday, April 30, 7-9:30 p.m.
HARRELL THEATRE
Rumors
Neil Simon’s farce about a celebration that turns into chaos as the host, Deputy Mayor of New York, has a self-inflicted flesh wound, and his wife is nowhere to be found. Friday, April 25, 7:30-9:30 p.m. | Saturday, April 26, 7:30-9:30 p.m. | Sunday, April 27, 2-4 p.m.
LOHREY THEATRE
The Most Happy Fella Frank Loesser’s celebration of love in its many forms, telling of Tony, an aging Italian grape farmer, who sends a photo of a handsome young man to win the heart of Rosabella. Friday, April 25, 7 p.m. | Saturday, April 26, 7 p.m. | Sunday, April 27, 3 p.m.
SCHEIDT FAMILY PERFORMING ARTS CENTER
The River Bride
Cazateatro presents a tale of true love, regret, and two sisters who struggle to be true to each other and their hearts, as a handsome and mysterious man is fished from the Amazon River. Friday, April 25, 8 p.m. | Saturday, April 26, 8 p.m. | Sunday, April 27, 3 p.m.
THEATREWORKS @ THE SQUARE
Too Many Detectives at the Murder Mansion
A Books on Stage youth production. A cast of eccentric characters, all detectives, meet at a mansion, only to become suspects in a murder. $10. Thursday, April 24, 7 p.m. | Friday, April 25, 7 p.m. | Saturday, April 26, 7 p.m.
THE SALVATION ARMY KROC CENTER
Crossword
ACROSS
1 Fratty group
9 “Science may have found a cure for most evils; but it has found no remedy for the worst of them all — the ___ of human beings”: Helen Keller
15 Absolutely creamed
16 Dictate
17 What some investments and trained dogs do
18 Top stories
19 Like El Alto, the highest large city (population > 100,000) in the world
20 Kindling
21 One after another?
22 Italian city that’s home to the Villa d’Este
23 Nuts
26 More authentic
27 Target, e.g.
29 Shoes that are also water hazards
34 Big heart?
35 Brusque
36 Author of the 2011 political memoir “My Father at 100”
38 Dream
39 “When I was a kid …”
46 Less of a mess
47 Middle-of-the-
48 Anna who played Scheherazade in 1963’s “Scheherazade”
49 Spent completely
51 Polar expedition transport
52 Exalt
53 Remove a burden from
54 Delivered
55 Like the apples in apple pie, typically
56 They serve a function
1 Cutting
2 Actor with the #1 film performance in Premiere magazine’s list of “100 Greatest Performances of All Time”
3 Hardly the silent type
4 Slobber
5 Split
6 Word with will or
Colored
of
PUZZLE BY KEVIN ADAMICK
We Saw You.
with MICHAEL DONAHUE
Beautiful weather, the smell of hamburgers, the sound of music from performers that included Lucero and Sons of Mudboy, and a throng of people helped make Huey’s 55th Anniversary Block Party a success.
e party was held around the original Huey’s Midtown location at 1927 Madison Avenue. Huey’s now has eight locations in Tennessee and two in Mississippi, says Alex Boggs, Huey’s area director and marketing director.
Madison Avenue from Barksdale Street to Rembert Street and 100 yards of Tucker Street were blocked o for the April 13th event, Boggs says. As for the crowd count, he says, “I think we had about 3,500 to 4,000.”
e block party wasn’t just to celebrate 55 years. “We wanted to thank Memphis for taking care of us. ank our sta and customers for being so loyal and supporting Church Health, which has been a charitable partner with us for decades.”
He adds, “Our employees are the ones who make Huey’s what we are.”
Huey’s, which supports many charities, is “more than a restaurant,” Boggs says. It’s “part of the entire community for the greater Memphis area.”
above: Alex, Henry, omas, Jenay, Reagan Boggs circle: James Potts
below: (le to right) Vivian and Marcus Batchellor; Jimmy Lee; Ashley and Michael Robilio and Lauren Robinson
bottom row: (le to right) Kiryn Brossard, Brandy Brossard, and Willie Terry; Chuck Albonetti and Cathryn Ferloni; Cindy Love, Kevin Kane, and Paula LaRue
PHOTOS: MICHAEL DONAHUE
above: Daniel Allen, Alecia Sharp, and Sean Langley below: (le to right) James and Veronica McCraw; Cedric Keel with Groove Nation; Sean Connelly; David Leonard and Eva Guggenheim
right row: (top and below) Zoe Casey and Kevin and Graham Chiles; J. W. Whitten and Clarence Connery bottom le : Drew Helland and Savannah Maxwell
Saturday, May 31st, 2025 3-6pm at Overton Square
Sample from the city’s best margarita-makers, vote on your favorite, and we’ll crown an audience winner at the end of this best ‘rita fest!
Skip the line with our Early Entry Ticket!
FOOD By Michael Donahue
Flew the Coop
In addition to being in a new location, Uncle Lou’s Fried Chicken will be in a new episode of Guy Fieri’s Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives on the Food Network.
His restaurant is now at 1725 Winchester Road, which is “onefourth of a mile” from his old restaurant at 3633 Millbranch Road, says owner/founder Lou Martin. “A six-minute walk or a two-minute drive.”
And the episode, titled “Sweet, Spicy and Savory,” will air at 7 p.m. on April 25th.
Martin’s new building was formerly a Wendy’s location. He wanted the building for years. “ ey came down to my asking price, which I thought was great.”
Lou
serve you fried
He didn’t have to do a lot to the building, but he did a lot anyway, Martin says. “My plan is to set it up as a model. Get more of them. Get people interested in opening Lou’s around the city, around the country. at’s the plan. at’s why we went so in depth. To make it a franchise-able model.”
Martin’s fried chicken recipe came from his great-grandmother Rosie Gillespie.
Asked about the interior’s color scheme, Martin says, “My wife [Renee Martin] is in charge of colors. I’m in charge of the bills.”
One area of the restaurant, known as Daphne’s Area, is in pink because of his daughter Daphne Martin, who died in June 2024. “It’s an honor to her, her legacy. Everything is pink. at was her color.”
Martin has white table tops in honor of his mother Mary Martin, who died 10 years ago. “She had that dream a few times that I had a restaurant with white tablecloths. And I told her, ‘Mom,’ — we kind of joked about it — ‘I might have a white table top one day.’’’ e chair cushions are green. “My mom’s favorite color was green.”
e new restaurant is 2,700 square feet, as opposed to his old place, which
was 1,800 square feet. Martin now has more space for shipping his Uncle Lou’s products, which include his sauces, seasonings, and chicken breading mix.
e new restaurant, of course, continues to o er Martin’s chicken breasts, thighs, legs, and his award-winning marinated chicken tenderloins slathered with his signature Sweet Spicy Love sauce, as well as hamburgers and other items.
Martin came up with the sauce, but the fried chicken recipe came from his great-grandmother Rosie Gillespie. In a Memphis Magazine story, Martin said he was about 15 when his mother told him the secret to Madear’s fried chicken. And she told him again when he decided to sell chicken at his new restaurant.
New Uncle Lou’s side items include homemade macaroni-and-cheese. “We start with elbow macaroni noodles. Cook those. A er those are cooked, we add our cheddar cheese sauce. And a er that we add some black pepper, some Corruption — my own personal seasoning — and a little bit of honey. Cup it up and sprinkle shredded cheese on it. A ve-cheese blend.”
Corruption is “an all-purpose seasoning. Kind of like Lawry’s or SeasonAll, but much more avor and less salt.”
e seasoning dates to Martin’s days when he owned Turkey Express, a turkey leg booth he set up at the Mid-South Fair and at Memphis in May events. Daphne, who was about 10 years old at the time, helped him make
Corruption, he says. “Probably 30 plus years ago.”
Daphne continued to help him over the years. “She was my right hand, but she was le -handed.”
Martin talked about Corruption when he was on his rst Diners, DriveIns, and Dives show with Fieri in 2008. Asked on the show why he called it Corruption, Martin said, “Once you taste it, you’ve been corrupted.”
Corruption also is in Sweet Spicy Love Beans, another new side item.“It’s a Northern bean with a Southern kick.”
Martin says, “People swear up and down it has meat, but it doesn’t have meat. Just seasoning, seasoned green beans, and we add diced potatoes and Corruption.”
at’s another nod to his mother, who made green beans with diced potatoes for their Sunday dinners when Martin was growing up. She made Sunday dinner on Saturday. So, on Sunday she’d put the already-cooked beans and potatoes on the oor heater before the family went to church. e slow heat marinated the dish. All his mom had to do when they came home from church was “fry chicken or warm up the roast or whatever we were having that day.”
Martin recalls the aroma from those beans and potatoes a er church. “Talking about smell — oh, my goodness.”
Born and raised in Memphis, Martin opened his rst restaurant, Cat sh Express, where he sold farm-raised cat sh, in 1988.
He then went into the concession
business with his Turkey Express booth. He also owned the short-lived Turkey Express restaurant in Downtown Memphis.
In 2001, Martin opened what later became Uncle Lou’s Fried Chicken. He originally sold hamburgers and sandwiches before he added the fried chicken made from his greatgrandmother’s recipe.
Mary enhanced the fried chicken with his Sweet Spicy Love sauce, which is made with honey, red wine vinegar, Louisiana hot sauce, and Corruption. He originally called the sauce Honey Dip, but during a Diners, DriveIns, and Dives appearance, Fieri told him he should call it Sweet Spicy Love.
Martin has been on Fieri’s show four times, including the upcoming episode. As he said in the Memphis Magazine story, business picked up “immediately” a er the rst show in 2008. “It didn’t stop,” Martin said. “And it hasn’t stopped.” Business is booming at his new location, Martin says. And, for the rst time in his career, he owns a restaurant with a patio. “I’ve got a patio that’s out of this world. I want to say 35 by 40. It’s enough to have six six-foot tables.” e patio is intended for families who want to let their kids move around and “stretch their legs.”
e centerpiece in the restaurant’s landscaping is a “long stem pink” rose bush, which belonged to his mother.
“My niece was a baby when she planted that thing, so I know it’s 40-plus. I’m saying 43.”
Martin had the rosebush transplanted to the restaurant. “It’s ourishing down here.”
Hydrangea bushes and various owers also are included in the restaurant’s landscaping. “I like color. I like low maintenance and something that comes back every year. Some yellows. Some oranges. Some purples. And the owers attract butter ies and hummingbirds.
“If you’re sitting out there on the patio and you’ve got butter ies, hummingbirds, good music, and a good day, what else could you need besides good- avored chicken?”
Uncle Lou’s Fried Chicken takes over a new location.
PHOTO: MICHAEL DONAHUE
Martin wants to
chicken dinner.
By the editors at Andrews McMeel Syndication
The Way the World Works
In the aftermath of the wildfires in California, at least two residents returned to their homes only to find new and unwelcome tenants, the Los Angeles Times reported. Homeowner Sean Lorenzini evacuated during the Eaton fire, and upon his return found a black bear sleeping in the crawl space under his home and lounging by the pool during the day. The large bear seemed to be foraging in neighbors’ trash bins and was probably behind an attack on a neighbor’s pet goat, Lorenzini said. “It’s definitely not moving,” he said. He’s hoping to get the California Department of Fish and Wildlife to help after they relocated a 525-pound bear at the end of January. In that case, the Altadena-area bear was lured into a trap with peanut butter and rotisserie chicken, then moved to Angeles National Forest. The wildlife agency told Lorenzini that after his bear is removed, he’ll need to seal up the crawl space, as it will probably try to return. “I know we’re encroaching on their territory,” Lorenzini said of the bear, “so I’m sympathetic to that. But at the same time … I’m exposed if anyone gets hurt. This is a wild animal.”
Least Competent Criminals
An observant deputy was credited with foiling the attempts of Jose Francisco Herrera Munoz, 18, and Angel Gonzales Gutierrez, 19, to launch illegal drugs into the U.S. Penitentiary Pollock in Grant Parish, Louisiana, Denver7-TV reported on Feb. 18. Both men are from Greeley, Colorado. Munoz and Gutierrez had planned to use a compressed air cannon, which has a range of 350 feet, to send $112,000 worth of tobacco and $89,500 worth of methamphetamine over the prison wall, but the deputy acted before they could make the delivery. “That much meth would have just been devastating in that population,” said Sheriff Steven McCain. They were charged with attempting to introduce contraband into a penal institution and attempting to distribute meth.
What’s
in a Name?
• When Nontra Null, 41, of Burbank, California, tried to apply for a visa to attend a friend’s wedding in India, she kept getting the same response: The computer couldn’t process the application. Turns out “null” is a troublesome name when it comes to filling out online forms. Yahoo! News reported on Feb. 23 that when
“null” is entered in a field, it essentially means, well, nothing. Jan Null, a 75-yearold meteorologist, learned to reserve hotel rooms adding his first initial to his last name, and security auditor Joseph Tartaro, whose vanity license plate reads NULL, keeps getting random traffic tickets from all over the United States. Modern software has addressed the problem, but not everyone has upgraded, one tech researcher noted.
• Jason Kilburn of Omaha, Nebraska, learned about his daughter Caroline, only after she was born, he told NBC News on Feb. 24. At her birth in November 2022, her mother had her placed with a foster family, but before that could happen, the baby received a certificate of live birth with a bizarre name: Unakite Thirteen Hotel. Kilburn was told it was a “computer-generated name.” Now, as Kilburn raises Caroline and tries to get a birth certificate with her given name, he’s stuck in a “circuitous, bureaucratic loop.” Without the birth certificate and a Social Security number, he can’t secure health insurance or child care. Just to get a routine checkup, Kilburn has to pay about $700 out of pocket. “It’s not like I’m trying to pull something here,” he said. “This is stuff she’s entitled to as any American is.” The Social Security Administration has issued a Social Security number, albeit with the original unusual name, and the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services is working with Kilburn to straighten out Caroline’s mess.
Phobia Report
Leigh Woodman, 32, of Bristol, England, suffers from a crippling fear of a common condiment: mortuusequusphobia, or fear of ketchup. The New York Post reported on Feb. 20 that Woodman likens seeing ketchup with “being held at gunpoint” on the trauma scale. “I can’t even look at a bottle or have it anywhere near me,” she said. “It makes me feel panicky.” While her mother claims Woodman liked ketchup as a child, she can’t remember a time when the popular condiment didn’t upset her.
Send your weird news items with subject line WEIRD NEWS to WeirdNewsTips@amuniversal.com.
ARIES (March 21-April 19): Aries filmmaker Akira Kurosawa devoted meticulous attention to weather conditions. He would postpone shooting a particular scene for days, waiting for the influx of the exact right blend of wind, clouds, or precipitation to create the ideal ambiance. I recommend you adopt his patient sense of timing in the coming weeks, Aries. While you typically prefer direct action, now is a favorable phase to coordinate your desire to get what you need with life’s changing conditions. What advantages might you gain by waiting for the ripest moments to arrive?
GEMINI (May 21-June 20): The Earth’s first big ecological crisis happened 2.5 billion years ago. Ancient bacteria became a successful life form. They proliferated. The only problem was, they produced an abundance of oxygen, which was toxic to all the other existing life forms at that time. And yet that bump in evolution was ultimately essential in the rise of complex organisms that thrive on oxygen, like us. We wouldn’t be here today without bacteria’s initially problematic intervention. Nothing as monumentally major or epic will occur for you in the coming weeks, Gemini. But I do suspect that what may initially seem disruptive could ultimately generate positive outcomes. I hope you prime yourself to transform challenging situations into opportunities for growth. For best results, set aside your fixed beliefs about what’s necessary for maximum progress.
CANCER (June 21-July 22): From the 17th through the 19th centuries, Paris was famous for its salons. There, artists, writers, and big thinkers assembled to exchange ideas and inspire each other. The salons were often orchestrated by illustrious, educated women in their private homes. They were hotbeds of networking and cultural innovation. Listening and learning were key elements. Now would be an excellent time for you to organize, host, or encourage similar gatherings, Cancerian. You have extra power to facilitate the stellar socializing that generates zesty connections and spreads invigorating influences.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Harriet Tubman (1822–1913) was one of the bravest Americans who ever lived. After escaping enslavement, she heroically returned to other Southern plantations many times to help free enslaved people. To accomplish her miraculous rescues, she relied in part on her dreams and visions — what she called divine guidance — to navigate through challenging situations. I suspect you will soon have access to similar assets: extraordinary courage and help from unusual or even supernatural sources. Use these gifts wisely, Leo!
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): The nations of
Rob Brezsny
planet Earth launched 263 space flights in 2024 and are on track for over 300 in 2025. Most of the satellites and spacecraft are devoted to scientific research. A relatively small proportion is dedicated to communication, navigation, and military uses. I would love for you to have an equally high level of exploratory and experimental energy in the coming weeks, Virgo. You will align yourself with cosmic rhythms if you spend more time than usual investigating the frontiers. It’s time to expand and extend yourself!
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): What’s the oldest living organism on Earth? It’s a bristlecone pine tree nicknamed Methuselah. Almost 4,800 years old, it resides somewhere in California’s White Mountains, though its precise location is kept secret to protect it. In the spirit of shielding and nurturing valuable things, I urge you to consider maintaining similar safeguards in the coming weeks. Like Methuselah, your precious processes and creations might thrive best when allowed to grow free from undue attention. You may benefit from maintaining privacy and silence about certain matters as they develop.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): I love to gaze out my office window at Gallinas Creek during high tide. At certain interludes, the water is perfectly still. It almost perfectly reflects the sky in every detail, with all its clouds, birds, and hues of blue. My conscious mind knows the difference between the real sky and reflected sky, but my eyes can’t discern. That’s a helpful metaphor for all of us all the time, and especially for you in the coming weeks. It will be crucial for you to maintain an acute awareness of what’s genuine and what’s illusory.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Sagittarian anthropologist Margaret Mead (1901-1978) revolutionized her field. She didn’t study other cultures from a distance with a detached perspective. Instead, she learned their languages and immersed herself in their daily lives. So she earned the intimate understanding to conclude, “What people say, what people do, and what they say they do are entirely different things.” This is a crucial principle for you right now. You must directly observe people’s actions rather than simply believing what they say about themselves — or what others say about them. You must look beyond surface declarations to understand the deeper rhythms and patterns. For best results, be a devoted participant, not an uninvolved judge.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Capricorn mystic Alan Watts wrote The Book: On the Taboo Against Knowing Who You Are. He proposed that each of us is far more glorious than our separate, isolated egos. It’s difficult to come to this
TAURUS (April 20-May 20): You can’t see or hold the wind, though you can feel its force and observe its effects. It scatters some seeds far and wide, dispersing them to grow in unexpected places. When harnessed by turbines, the wind is a renewable energy source. It can be utilized to pump water and fuel telecommunications equipment. Winds influence daily weather by transporting water and heat. I have summarized wind’s qualities because I see this upcoming phase of your cycle as being windlike, Taurus. You won’t necessarily have to be obvious to spread your influence. You will be able to work behind the scenes in potent ways. Who knows where your seeds will land and germinate? There will be surprises.
understanding, however, since our culture conspires to hide it from us. That’s the bad news. The good news, Capricorn, is that you will have an unprecedented chance to partly shatter this taboo in the coming weeks. I have high hopes that you will discover deep truths about yourself that have previously been unavailable.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Beginning in 1946, Bedouins exploring caves near the Dead Sea discovered an immense trove of ancient documents written on parchment. These manuscripts provided many new revelations into early Christianity, biblical texts, and the history and culture of Judaism. I suspect that in the coming weeks, you may experience a metaphorical equivalent of this breakthrough and unveiling. To prepare, meditate on these questions: 1. What mysterious parts of your life story would you like to have illuminated? 2. About which aspects of your past would you like to receive new truths? 3. Is there anything missing in your understanding of who you really are?
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): White light enters a glass prism and is translated on the other side into a rainbow of colors. That’s because each color rides its own wavelength, even while seamlessly blended in the white light, and then gets bent differently by the prism. The magic of the prism is that it reveals the hidden spectrum within, the latent diversity contained within the apparently monolithic beam of white light. In the coming weeks, Pisces, I predict that you will be like a prism, bringing out vibrancy in situations or relationships that may seem nondescript or mundane at first glance. Your ability to discern and appreciate multiple perspectives will enable you to create an intriguing kind of harmony. You will have the power to notice and reveal beauty that has been veiled or unnoticed.
STAY IN THE LOOP
FILM By Chris McCoy
Come Together
One to One: John & Yoko paints a portrait of Lennon’s New York years.
W
hen John Lennon was shot in front of his apartment at New York City’s Dakota building in 1980, Time magazine called it an “assassination.” Noting that the term is usually reserved for the murder of a head of state, the Time editorial board called Lennon “the leader of a state of mind.” Before his murder by a deranged fan, Lennon was a musician — albeit one of the most famous in modern history. A erwards, he became a martyr. But martyrdom, it turns out, does not suit Lennon. Sure, they open every Summer Olympics with his secular hymn “Imagine,” but the Beatles Backlash is real, and Lennon’s legacy has gotten the worst of it. Sir Paul McCartney is still playing shows and wowing audiences at age 82. Ringo is still the oppy mascot guy he always has been (and, let’s be clear, one of the greatest drummers of all time).
George Harrison’s solo work is now venerated as the best of the post-Beatles output. But spend a few minutes on any social media network these days and you can nd people who say the Beatles were massively overrated, and, most cruelly of all, John Lennon would probably be MAGA if he were alive today.
Lennon the iconoclast would have understood. A couple of generations have had the Fab Four’s music shoved down their throats by the Beatles industrial complex. at the band “changed the world” is a Boomer catechism. So when young people hear the music made by a bunch of moldy old white guys, of course they’re predisposed to hate it.
In One to One: John & Yoko, director Kevin Macdonald aims to demystify Lennon and reveal the human being behind the mythical martyr. e meat of the lm is performance footage from Lennon’s Madison Square Garden show on August 30, 1972. e concert was a bene t for the victims of the Willowbrook State School in New Jersey, which journalist Geraldo Rivera had exposed as a hellhole where developmentally disabled children were basically imprisoned and le to rot. It was the only full-length concert Lennon played a er the Beatles’ Shea Stadium swan song in 1966.
e shocking footage from inside Willowbrook is a part of the hundreds of clips from TV and lm that esh out One to One. Macdonald begins the story in 1971. e Beatles have been broken up for more than a year, and John Lennon has been living with his new wife Yoko Ono in a posh English country estate outside London. As Lennon recounts in a taped interview with a print journalist, Ono was
the one who hated living in a mansion and wanted to simplify their lives. On a short vacation to New York City, Lennon and Ono discovered that they loved the hustle and bustle, and the cultural scene. Lennon tells the interviewer that he felt at home because “no one bothered us.” So the couple sold their English estate and moved into a two-room at in Greenwich Village. ere, they mostly smoked weed and watched the TV they had propped up at the foot of their bed, which had been le by the apartment’s previous owner.
A couple’s therapist would have a eld day with the picture of John and Yoko’s relationship Macdonald draws. e “Yoko is the villain who broke up the Beatles” narrative was exposed as misogynistic agitprop by Peter Jackson’s epic Get Back documentary series. Jackson found a sound clip where Sir Paul himself calls bullshit on the notion that the group was in trouble because “Yoko sat on an amp.” But Lennon and Ono were clearly codependent, years before the psychological term was coined. By the time they moved to New York, they had both gotten hooked on heroin and kicked the habit. Lennon was tired of being a prisoner of his own fame and fascinated by the avant-garde art world which had embraced Ono, whom he called a “creative genius.” (One of the lm’s running gags involves taped conversations between Ono’s sta who are trying desperately to secure a thousand house ies for one of Ono’s art installations.) In a clip from one of the panel-type talk shows that was popular on TV at the time, Lennon opens up about being abandoned by his mother and reconnecting at age 16, only months before she was hit by a truck. For her part, Ono was the daughter of a rich Japanese family who had been made into destitute refugees by the American rebombing of Tokyo. It’s no wonder that two people with abandonment issues would cling so ercely to each other.
e focus of their lives in 1971 to ’73 was radical le ist politics. Ono’s feminism was a revelation to Lennon, who had been abusive to his rst wife Cynthia. Macdonald drives the point home by showing footage of Lennon getting kicked out of the First International Feminist Conference, where Ono was speaking, for being the only man there. Protests against the Vietnam War were raging in America, and the Ono-Lennons were in the thick of it. ey were planning an American “peace tour,” where some of the proceeds would have gone to bail funds for imprisoned Black men. Lennon tried to recruit Bob Dylan as a co-headliner but never quite got it done. He wrote a song about the At-
One to One depicts John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s life in New York City 1971 to ’73.
tica prison revolt that his manager begged him not to perform in public. In the end, the tour plans fell apart. ree months a er the Plastic Ono Band’s MSG show, Nixon was reelected in a landslide, and his State Department tried to deport Lennon. e restored concert footage shows what might have been. Lennon and the band (which includes a bass player dressed as Jesus and a Stevie Wonder guest vocal on “Give Peace a Chance”) are loose and
playful. Lennon delivers a transcendent version of “Imagine” at a piano while casually chewing gum. One imagines a world where, with a little more practice, they coalesced into a touring powerhouse that freed prisoners across the country. But that is not the world we got.
One to One: John and Yoko Now playing Malco Ridgeway
Our critic picks the best films in theaters. Sinners
Black Panther director Ryan Coogler’s folk horror set in Clarksdale, Mississippi, is the best film of the year so far — and it’s got a Memphis connection. It’s 1932, and the Smokestack twins (Michael B. Jordan doing double duty) open a juke joint with stolen mob money. They invite the best blues players in the Delta to opening night. But a hungry coven of vampires is lying in wait. Music by Boo Mitchell and a hungry coven of Mid-South musical royalty.
The Accountant 2
Ben Affleck stars as a money launderer forced to become allies with a Treasury agent (Cynthia Addai-Robinson) when they are hounded by assassins.
Cheech & Chong’s Last Movie
The legendary stoner comedy duo goes on a road trip, accompanied by documentarian David L. Bushell. They recall their 20year career as counterculture icons from the 1960s to ’80s.
Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith
The 20th-anniversary screening of the best of the Star Wars prequels. As the Clone Wars rage, Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen) struggles to reconcile his duty to the Jedi with his forbidden love for Senator Amidala (Natalie Portman). When his mentor Chancellor Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid) reveals the prophecy of Darth Plagueis the Wise, Skywalker turns to the Dark Side of the Force. Can ObiWan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor) salvage a New Hope for the Republic?
THE LAST WORD By
Jesse Davis
Skyrocket in Flight
For celebrities, a billionaire-funded trip to the stratosphere is a mere morning’s delight.
On April 14, 2025, Je Bezos’ private space startup, Blue Origin, launched six non-astronaut, celebrity women into space. Apparently, the 10-minute ight promoted women in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics). If anything, though, the so-called “historic” voyage represented little more than that the excesses of capitalism are open to anyone with the cash to spend and celebrity status to launch them to the front of the line.
It should be noted that before Blue Origin’s recent female-crewed ight, Soviet cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova was the rst woman to travel to space on a solo mission. She’s not alone, and no thanks to Katy Perry, one of Blue Origin’s celebrity passengers — and passengers are what they were, since no scienti c tests were performed during their few minutes of weightlessness. ere have been multiple women astronauts from countries across the globe. It’s possible that this recent high-pro le instance of space tourism encouraged some young girls to study science, but it seems a roundabout and expensive way of promoting that goal. is is space ight in the age of in uencer culture, when celebrity status and the cult of personality matter more than education and study.
How else should we, the public, view that blatant PR stunt when on the same day of the so-called “mission,” Nature reported that “[p]reliminary copies of some of the U.S. government’s spending plans suggest that President Donald Trump’s administration intends to slash climate and space science across some U.S. agencies. At risk is research that would develop next-generation climate models, track the planet’s changing oceans, and explore the solar system. NASA’s science budget for the scal year 2026 would be cut nearly in half, to U.S. $3.9 billion.”
e priorities of the current administration — and the wealthy tech bros underwriting its rise to power — are on clear display. e future forecasted by such frivolous ights is a far cry from one in which scienti c advancements are funded equitably and their rewards are shared with all. Instead, a coalition of the famous and lthy-rich will share a TikTok reel of their breathless awe as they experience weightlessness. e very idea of the Blue Origin ight is so out-of-touch that one is tempted to think its crew were already 66 miles above Earth’s surface.
In March, as part of Trump’s anti-DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) witch hunt, NASA removed two graphic novels featuring a female astronaut — First Woman: NASA’s Promise for Humanity and First Woman: Expanding Our Universe — from its website. So too was a sentence about the Artemis program’s goal heavily edited. e following sentence, rife with the demons of equity and inclusion, was scoured from the organization’s website: “NASA will land the rst woman, rst person of colour, and rst international partner astronaut on the Moon using innovative technologies to explore more of the lunar surface than ever before.”
Again, the priorities are plain as day; it’s as though they’ve been written in the sky. Space, like every other natural resource, is there to be capitalized upon to increase the wealth and power of a select few, not to be explored for the betterment of all. As with public education and the United States Postal Service, the plan seems to be to pave the way for private companies like Blue Origin, Elon Musk’s SpaceX, and Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic. Whether they’re angling for mining rights to the moon or nearby asteroids or hoping to project advertisements on the night sky via satellite, the future looks bleak. ough regular members of the Earth-bound rabble won’t be able to a ord the $150,000 deposit on one of Blue Origin’s future ights, we will probably be able to rent an ad-free stargazing experience for a low monthly rate. Maybe during eclipses or meteor showers whole neighborhoods can pool their discretionary funds together for a light pollution-free weekend as a special treat. See? And they say there’s no way to build community these days!
Call me a starry-eyed idealist, but Amazon and Bezos should be taxed to fund NASA — and the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health and other institutions working to serve the whole population. If they really want to inspire women to work in STEM careers, they should speak out against funding cuts to organizations that provide those jobs. ey could invest in STEM scholarships, fund research institutions — like the University of Memphis, which was last year named an R1 institution by the Carnegie Classi cation of Institutions of Higher Education. ey won’t, though because they want the glory and the nancial gains. ese mega-rich social invalids can’t seem to connect, whether it’s to other humans or the simple awe of the universe around us. ey read ctional tech-dystopias like Neal Stephenson’s Snow Crash and thought they were user’s guides. We’re a far cry from Gene Roddenberry’s futuristic and egalitarian tech-utopia of Star Trek. What would Captain Janeway think of our poor, backwards society, when breaking the bonds of gravity amounts to no more than a publicity stunt?
Jesse Davis is a former Flyer sta er; he writes a monthly Books feature for Memphis Magazine. His opinions, such as they are, can’t a ord to reserve a ticket on a Blue Origin space tourism ight.
PHOTO: NASA | UNSPLASH Space, it seems, is there to be capitalized upon.
